Midsize Cars Improve in Side Crash Tests

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently concluded crash tests on seven midsize sedans and discovered that while they had improved in side crash tests, they still lacked enough head protection to earn top marks in rear crash tests.

Tested were the 2008 model year Chevrolet Malibu, Dodge Avenger, Infiniti G35, Kia Optima, Mitsubishi Galant (which was updated for the 2009 model year on sale now), Nissan Altima and Saturn Aura.

Only the Kia Optima did not earn the top score of “good” for side impact crash tests – it received the second highest nod, “acceptable.” However, the Optima was the only car in the test to receive a “good” score in rear crash tests.

The difficulty in scoring the top rank in rear tests involves head and neck protection for those rear-end collisions that produce whiplash. The IIHS claims that those types of accidents and injuries lead to losses of $8.5 billion annually. Most vehicles need to equip active head restraints to pass this test.

The Audi A3, A4, Honda Accord, Saab 9-3 and Subaru Legacy – with optional stability control – earned good ratings in all tests previously and earned the IIHS’ Top Safety Pick designation for midsize cars. 

A full chart of how the cars scored is below.

2008 New York Auto Show: 2009 Kia Optima

• Competes with: Honda Accord, Toyota Camry
• Looks like: Honda Accord, Toyota Camry
• Drivetrain: 175-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder with five-speed manual or five-speed automatic, or 190-hp, 2.7-liter V-6 with five-speed automatic; front-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Late 2008

Not two months after sister company Hyundai debuted a freshened Sonata, Kia followed suit with the midsize Optima. Though the cars shared architecture in previous years, they’ve been on divergent paths for some time now, Kia says. Where the upgraded Sonata’s new face found general acceptance, our reaction to the Optima is lukewarm. The car’s sheet metal went from Plane Jane to Frank Caliendo, meaning you can find a good impression of a lot of cars here: the grille and taillights look like those on the new and two-generations-old Accord, respectively; the headlights are all Camry; and the trunk and rear bumper remind us of the Malibu.

Both engines have been upgraded, but the cabin remains mostly the same, save for some cooler electroluminescent gauges in the sporty SX trim level. (“Sporty” is a relative term here, as in, whoa, check out that sporty Camry SE!) Other SX features include 17-inch rims, a sport-tuned suspension and mirrors with integrated turn signals. The LX and EX trims remain, and new standard features include a USB port, which takes iPod compatibility beyond what simpler auxiliary jacks allow. Six airbags and active head restraints are also standard, but we wish ABS and stability control were, too. They’re optional, but product strategy manager Ralph Tjoa said that may change before the car arrives at dealerships.

Click below for more pictures.

Kia Wakes Up, Kills Off Cassette Player

I was just looking at the fact sheet on the 2008 Kia Rondo (introduced earlier this year as a 2007 model) and discovered that Kia has dumped the Rondo’s cassette player in favor of an MP3 jack. Progress! You may remember (or not) my thoughts on the 2007 Kia Sportage, when I told Kia to join the 21st century and get rid of the tape player, seeing as almost no one has used one in the past decade. Or you may remember the Suburban Dad Manifesto, in which I implored all automakers to make MP3 jacks standard in the face of more than 130 million MP3 players wandering the roads of America (the vast majority of which are iPods). Well, it seems the South Korean automaker, in its wisdom, has seen fit to embrace both concepts for the Rondo and the 2008 Optima. We haven’t heard yet about the Sportage.

Meanwhile, we’re still waiting for automatic windows everywhere. Take your time; we can wait.

Cars.comparison Pits Camry vs. Fusion vs. Optima

Joe Wiesenfelder and Mike Hanley just finished a three-way shootout between some of the most popular midsize sedans on the market. The two compared four-cylinder versions of the Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry and Kia Optima in a number of categories, including ride, handling and safety. For savvy readers, the winner won’t be much of a surprise, but seeing which vehicle fared best in each category makes for some intriguing reading.

Cars.comparison: Midsize Sedans