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10 of 18 midsize SUVs earn 'good' IIHS side impact safety rating

It's not terribly surprising that midsize SUVs earned better safety ratings than small SUVs in the latest side-impact tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Just how much better they scored, on the other hand, certainly raises an eyebrow. Ten out of 18 midsize SUVs earned the highest rating of 'good' in the stringent new test, altered for vehicles starting with the 2020 model year with a heavier barrier (4,200 pounds) that moves at a higher speed (37 miles per hour) and is fitted with a hard honeycomb frontal structure. By way of contrast, just one out of of 20 small SUVs earned a 'good' score.  SUVs that receiving 'good' scores were the Ford Explorer, Infiniti QX60, Lincoln Aviator, Mazda CX-9, Nissan Pathfinder, Subaru Ascent, Toyota Highlander, Volkswagen Atlas, Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport and Volkswagen ID.4. For EV fans, it's worth noting the ID.4 was the only electric vehicle included in the test. The Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse scraped away with 'acceptable' ratings while the Honda Passport, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Palisade, Jeep Wrangler 4-door, Kia Telluride and Nissan Murano were deemed merely 'marginal' in the tough new test. Only two models — the Mazda CX-9 and Volkswagen ID.4 — earned a "Good" rating in every test category.  Interestingly, the Jeep Wrangler would have scored a 'good' rating if it were equipped with side airbags for the rear seating positions. It would likely be an engineering challenge to equip its removable top and/or doors with airbags, but the lack of that safety feature allowed the head of the rear passenger dummy to hit the vertical support of the top. Otherwise, the Wrangler scored good ratings across the board. The new Ford Bronco, which makes more allowances for side-impact safety, has not yet been tested.  The popular Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride SUVs stand out in the test with 'poor' ratings for driver pelvis injuries. The Nissan Murano, a vehicle last redesigned for the 2015 model year, was the only vehicle tested that received a 'poor' rating for its structure and safety cage. Videos of the tests of 12 of these 18 SUVs can be found on the IIHS' YouTube page. Related video: Green Buick Chevrolet Ford Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jeep Kia Mazda Nissan Subaru Toyota Volkswagen Safety Crossover SUV IIHS Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Honda scores big in Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards [w/videos]

This year the Detroit Auto Show didn't just celebrate the automobile, it celebrated how we find out about the automobile, too. Partnering The One Club, this year introduced the 2014 One Show Automobile Advertising of the Year Award to Cobo Hall, celebrating winners in five different categories of advertising: broadcast television, online, interactive, experiential, and print/outdoor. Winners in those categories were judged by 50 creative directors and journalists, while a Public Choice category was chosen from among nearly 20,000 online votes.
Honda walked off with three of the six awards, its Hands spot taking Broadcast honors, its Sound of Honda getting the Online category and Illusions winning Public Choice. Hyundai made the grade in Interactive with Driveway Decision Maker, Fiat captured Print/Outdoor with its "Letters" ad, and Toyota's Tundra Endeavor Campaign spot and BMW's A Window into the Near Future were co-winners for Experiential.
You can watch all of the press release and winning videos below or check out all of the finalists, announced last month, for a refresher.

2017 Honda Ridgeline First Drive

Over the years, the quest to build a better pickup truck has resulted in nothing but failure. Only one basic formula has proven successful: body-on-frame, front-engine, solid rear axle, and an optional transfer case for true four-wheel drive. And it helps to wear an American nameplate. The 2017 Honda Ridgeline is none of those things. Instead, it's a unibody. The engine is up front, but it's mounted transversely since the truck is based on front-wheel-drive architecture. And one look is all it takes to confirm the Ridgeline is not a Ford, Chevy, or Ram. In the face of ever-bolder and blockier competition, the Ridgeline looks, dare we say, aerodynamically sound. It's all based on the rational desire for greater efficiency, comfort, and convenience. In the same way that a car-based crossover is a better choice for most families than a truck-based SUV, the Ridgeline is a better choice for a large swath of pickup buyers. It really is more comfortable, more fuel efficient, roomier, and easier to live with than its primary competitors. Those same things could be said of the old first-gen Honda Ridgeline. But where the 2006 model was terribly unattractive and ambiguously styled, the new 2017 model is at least recognizable as a pickup. Gone are the buttresses of the old truck, replaced by a more traditional bed that is four inches longer than before. That bed is molded from a strong, dent- and scratch-resistant fiber-reinforced plastic material that's UV treated so that it doesn't need paint to keep from fading in the sun. A pair of dirtbikes or a single ATV fit nicely with the tailgate down. There's still a trunk recessed in the rear of the bed, complete with a drain plug so that it can be hosed out or filled with ice to keep drinks cold. Eight tie-downs come standard, each rated to hold up to 350 pounds. A power outlet is nestled behind a hidden door in the bed, but a two-prong design and 400-watt max rating limit its usefulness. Carried over from the first generation is a dual-action tailgate that can fold down or swing open, hinging on the driver's side. A new feature is an in-bed audio system that should prove a hit at tailgate parties. Plug a television into the in-bed outlet, connect to the car's audio system, dump some ice in the trunk, and you're good to go. Check out the innovative tailgate and in-bed audio in our Short Cut videos below. And stick around for the third video to see a load full of rocks dumped in that heavy-duty plastic pickup bed.