Nissan proves that no safety test is too difficult

Auto manufacturers are continually striving to make vehicles that excel in not only style, performance and efficiency, but also safety. To help them get there and to help ensure the safety of vehicle occupants everywhere, there are some stringent tests in place that each new vehicle goes through. But one of the most difficult for car companies to master (and one of the most controversial) is the small-front overlap test. While some argue that this test is too difficult and doesn’t mimic an actual crash situation, the folks at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) disagree. And apparently, so does Nissan, as the company has continued to improve on this notoriously difficult test.

Nissan Rogue small-front overlap test

So why is the small-front overlap test so difficult? Traditionally, vehicle were produced to withstand straight-on impact. The front overlap test challenges that tradition, as not all crashes are a cut and dry as a flush impact. Essentially, this test involved the vehicle hitting an object that juts into the path of the vehicle, clipping the front quarter of it. The results of many of these crash tests have been tragic, but luckily in testing there are only dummies in the vehicle. But if this situation happened in real life, things could be a bit more serious.

As all car companies struggled with this test, so did Nissan. The Rogue didn’t fare too well the first time around, but Nissan developed a redesigned version that has since tested and passed with flying colors. This is a big reason that the 2014 Nissan Rogue received the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ designation.

The success of the redesigned Rogue on the small-front overlap test is proof of what can happen when a car company is determined to get the job done. While many companies have questioned the test and if it was possible to score well, Nissan was busy making it happen.