Some of the proposed changes are already part of a European crash testing program.
The insurance institute is the first group to rate these front crash prevention systems based on real-world track testing, using a protocol similar to one developed by the European New Car Assessment Program – known as Euro N.C.A.P. – which is Europe's crash testing program.
In the federal government's crash testing program done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the CX-5 received an overall rating of four stars, with five stars being the best; frontal and rollover ratings of four stars; and a five-star rating for side-impact protection.
The agency founded the crash-test program in 1978.
"There's no doubt that auto manufacturers have been paying attention," said Dr. Adrian Lund, a psychologist who heads the insurance institute's crash-test program.
The testing by the Latin American New Car Assessment Program, known as Latin NCAP, represents the first comprehensive crash-test program for Latin America, safety experts say.
The safety administration, the part of the Transportation Department with jurisdiction over light-duty vehicles, including cars, vans and most sport utilities, said a grading system would be faster to implement, compared with a crash-test program, and that the agency was well set up to run it.
With so many vehicles receiving five stars, especially in frontal crash testing, the program offers little guidance to help safety-conscious shoppers choose the new vehicle that will make them feel best protected.
We looked at a combination of measures to find the best and worst certified used cars on the market, including Consumer Reports' used-car verdict scores, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for crash test ratings and manufacturer-backed warranty programs.
Crash test results from Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) rate the VE lower in the offset frontal impact test than the previous generation Commodore.
