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Old 03-31-2006, 06:36 PM   #1
Jon [in CT]
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Default New Issue of Subaru Drive Magazine Available Online - Free Subaru Safety DVD Offer

The new Spring 2006 edition of Subaru's Drive magazine is now available online via http://www.drivesubaru.com/. At the bottom of the main article on Subaru Active and Passive Safety there is this:
Quote:
AVAILABLE NOW - ORDER YOUR FREE SAFETY DVD!

SUBARU SAFETY ENGINEERING: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

Subaru of America, Inc. is making available a FREE DVD about the top safety awards earned by Subaru vehicles. The DVD features crash-test footage, an explanation of the test ratings and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety president Adrian Lund discussing the Subaru results and their meanings.

To order your free DVD, visit www.drivesubaru.com – or call 800-355-6605.
It’s a great follow-up to the “The Subaru Safety Story!”
Supplies are limited. Please reply by June 30, 2006.
I couldn't find any online ordering information at the link so your best bet is to simply call the toll-free number if you want a copy of that DVD. If you have a spouse or parent reluctant to commit to a new Subaru, that DVD would make an excellent selling tool. How can anyone argue against buying one of the safest cars on the planet?
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Old 04-01-2006, 11:25 PM   #2
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Ordered mine. Thanks for the info!
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Old 04-03-2006, 12:38 PM   #3
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All dealers got a copy of the DVD... pretty cool stuff. The president of IIHS is speaking about Subaru's safety initiatives and comes off better than a paid endorser. It really sounds like he works for Subaru even though its off-the-cuff
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Old 04-03-2006, 02:03 PM   #4
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Do they explain why the '05 LGT got such a suprisingly low score on the side impact test, or what changed in '06 to get the top rating?

-Rob
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Old 04-03-2006, 02:21 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rob
Do they explain why the '05 LGT got such a suprisingly low score on the side impact test, or what changed in '06 to get the top rating?

-Rob
At http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=602, the IIHS described the changes as:
Quote:
Beginning with 2006 models, changes were made to the side structure, front seats, and front seat-mounted torso airbags to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes.
I expect similar chages were made to the 2006 Impreza.
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Old 04-03-2006, 04:20 PM   #6
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I was looking for something more specific, like "if you have an '05 LGT you should not worry because...."

Besides the updated '06 specs, I have yet to see an good official repsonse to the '05 test results.

-Rob
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Old 04-04-2006, 08:49 AM   #7
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IIRC the 05's were tested pre-production or VERY early production and had improperly folded side-cutrain airbags... the result was a decapitated dummy. SOA issued a recall for the first batch of Leggy products just in case it wasn't an isolated incident.
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Old 04-04-2006, 09:23 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rob
I was looking for something more specific, like "if you have an '05 LGT you should not worry because...."
The 2005 Legacy is safer than the 2004 Legacy. If you want an even safer Legacy, buy a 2006+ model.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rob
Besides the updated '06 specs, I have yet to see an good official repsonse to the '05 test results.
SOA did issue an official response (see http://vocuspr.vocus.com/VocusPR30/D...eleases&Cache=). What's to explain? The 2005 Legacy didn't perform as well as Subaru expected. After examining the test results Subaru was able to redesign some components in time to be incorporated in the 2006 Legacy, with outstanding results. What is so surprising about the fact that Subaru safety is improving every year?
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Old 04-04-2006, 10:35 AM   #9
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What's surprising is that the 05 got only a "marginal" side-impact rating. That's 2 levels down from the top "good" rating it now gets.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BOY
IIRC the 05's were tested pre-production or VERY early production and had improperly folded side-cutrain airbags... the result was a decapitated dummy. SOA issued a recall for the first batch of Leggy products just in case it wasn't an isolated incident.
Yes, but the poor results for the 05 occurred in the 2nd test, after the air bag problem was fixed.
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Old 04-05-2006, 11:31 AM   #10
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Available in Canada?
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Old 04-05-2006, 05:54 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon [in CT]
The 2005 Legacy is safer than the 2004 Legacy. If you want an even safer Legacy, buy a 2006+ model.

SOA did issue an official response (see http://vocuspr.vocus.com/VocusPR30/D...eleases&Cache=). What's to explain? The 2005 Legacy didn't perform as well as Subaru expected. After examining the test results Subaru was able to redesign some components in time to be incorporated in the 2006 Legacy, with outstanding results. What is so surprising about the fact that Subaru safety is improving every year?
I'm not looking for a hollow PR response. What is surprising about it is that no other test worldwide on the '05 chassis yielded a "marginal" result. It stands out. So I would like to know if it was specific test issue (size of dummy for example), or if the side impact bags are ineffective in some way (in that case I would have a chat with SOA). At the very least, I'd like to know exactly what the changes were between the two chassis so I could decide for myself if I should consider a model change.

-Rob
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Old 04-05-2006, 10:49 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rob
I'm not looking for a hollow PR response. What is surprising about it is that no other test worldwide on the '05 chassis yielded a "marginal" result. It stands out.
I guess you're referring to the 2005 Liberty ANCAP test results.

The only similarity between the IIHS side impact test and the ANCAP/EuroNCAP side impact test is that the moving deformable barrier (MDB) travels at 50 kmh (31 mph) in both tests.

EuroNCAP test is designed to similate the impact of a very small car into the side of the test vehicle. It uses an MDB with a rectangular impact surface that is only 59 inches wide and 19 11/16 inches high. The lower half of the impact surface protrudes 2 3/8 inches out forward from the upper half. Other than this lower half protrusion, the inpact surface is flat. The lower edge of the impact surface is only 11 13/16 inches above the ground and the upper edge is 31 1/2 inches above the ground. The total mass of the EuroNCAP MDB is 2,094 pounds. See http://www.euroncap.com/downloads/te...ocol%204.0.pdf for details.

The IIHS test is designed to simulate the impact of a light truck (e.g. SUV) into the side of the test vehicle. It uses an MDB with an impact surface that is 66 inches wide and 29 7/8 inches high. The lower edge of the impact surface is 14 15/16 inches above the ground while the upper edge is 44 13/16 inches above the ground. The total mass of the IIHS MDB is 3,307 pounds. There are two other very important differences besides the larger size and mass of the IIHS MDB. One is that it is contoured (when viewed from above) more like real SUV, with the center protruding more than the sides. The other is an 8 inch band that wraps around the lower part of the impact surface and protrudes 4 inches from the rest of the impact surface. That band is made with a crush resistance that is 5.5 times harder than the rest of the impact surface and is inteneded to represent an American type bumper beam. See http://www.iihs.org/ratings/protocol...tocol_side.pdf for details.

The end results are (IMHO):
  • The EuroNCAP MDB would likely impact with the door sill on a Legacy, dissipating energy to the floor pan and frame whereas the IIHS MDB would completely clear the Legacy's door sill, preserving all of its momentum for application to the doors and B pillar.
  • Due to different materials and the tough bumper bar on the IIHS MDB, the EuroNCAP MDB deforms far more than the IIHS MDB and, therefore, dissipates more energy in the process. Doors tend to "bounce" off the IIHS MDB bumper bar while they are merely "pushed" by the EuroNCAP surface.
  • The shape and the 58% additional mass of the IIHS MDB would allow it to penetrate farther into the passenger compartment than the EuroNCAP MDB.

The rear passenger dummy situatation is also very different. IIHS side tests use a single passenger (same size as the driver) seated behind the driver. The EuroNCAP side tests use two children's dummies in the rear, a 3 year-old behind the passenger seat and a 1 1/2 year-old behind the driver seat. The car manufacturer can choose which car seats to use for the test and can even choose to position the 1 1/2 year-old's seat in the middle instead of behind the driver.

Also, EuroNCAP's 5-star rating has recently been diluted. Before 2002, it was impossible to achieve 5 stars without side air bag head protection. Even if a car scored the maximum possible 32 points in the frontal and side tests, 32.5 points are needed for 5 stars and only cars with head protection are allowed to go for the 2 "bonus" points for passing the side pole test. Now a car can also earn up to 3 "bonus" points just for having seat belt warning chimes.

The 2005 Legacy and Outback ANCAP results are also highly unusual. First, they represent the first time, as far as I can tell, that ANCAP has accepted as official results of test performed in Japan by some unnamed entity. Second, although the tests were performed on station wagons, ANCAP was informed that the results were applicable to sedans, too. Sure.
See http://www.mynrma.com.au/motoring/ca...berty_sc.shtml for details.

The bottom line is that the IIHS side impact test is far more severe than the EuroNCAP side test and is far more suitable than EuroNCAP for the US market where half of all vehicles sold each year are light trucks. But it's not so tough that it's impossible for cars that are lighter than the Legacy sedan to achieve the highest possible rating, "Good."
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Old 05-19-2006, 07:12 AM   #13
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Got my dvd the other day and I was quite disappointed. The dvd is only 10~15mins long and it doesn't have any extras. It was basically just a long commercial with no interesting info.


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Old 05-19-2006, 09:06 AM   #14
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This is a great thread with some great info -- thanks all! I just subscribed to "Drive Performance" and ordered my DVD.
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Old 05-19-2006, 10:58 AM   #15
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It's a barely over 6 minute commercial which pretty much covers the Legacy, mentions the B9 Tribeca and takes a brief glance at the Forester. No Impreza love on it. It's neat to watch once, then pitch.
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Old 05-19-2006, 01:22 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary Bechtold
No Impreza love on it.
This DVD came out after the Legacy received the gold award. The 2006 Impreza crash ratings had not been released.
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Old 05-19-2006, 08:38 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary Bechtold
It's a barely over 6 minute commercial which pretty much covers the Legacy, mentions the B9 Tribeca and takes a brief glance at the Forester. No Impreza love on it. It's neat to watch once, then pitch.
I didn't realize it was only 6mins. It was boring and I wasn't paying super close attention. Free is free, but you get what you pay for (I guess).


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