"Some Popular S.U.V.'s Fare Badly in Rollover Tests"
Wait, but I thought an S.U.V. made you invincible! No? Well, at least they'll save on gas money.
Excerpts:
The results underscore that sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks are not as safe as many consumers believe because they ride higher from the ground than passenger cars do. Generally speaking, S.U.V.'s and pickup trucks have higher fatality rates for their occupants than passenger cars, and substantially higher death rates than minivans.
And the problem shows no sign of going away. While the Explorer involved in the lawsuit was a 1997 model, the version tested by the government was an extensively redesigned 2004 model. ...
Consumer groups have been sharply critical of the government's new testing because it has inflated grades for some vehicles; even the Tacoma that tipped up on two wheels received four of five stars on the test, a finding that baffled some experts.
Excerpts:
The results underscore that sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks are not as safe as many consumers believe because they ride higher from the ground than passenger cars do. Generally speaking, S.U.V.'s and pickup trucks have higher fatality rates for their occupants than passenger cars, and substantially higher death rates than minivans.
And the problem shows no sign of going away. While the Explorer involved in the lawsuit was a 1997 model, the version tested by the government was an extensively redesigned 2004 model. ...
Consumer groups have been sharply critical of the government's new testing because it has inflated grades for some vehicles; even the Tacoma that tipped up on two wheels received four of five stars on the test, a finding that baffled some experts.
// 6/08/2004 
