2015 Subaru Legacy, Outback Earn IIHS' Top Safety Pick Plus Status
For the third consecutive year since the Top Safety Pick Plus designation was introduced in 2013, the Subaru Legacy sedan and its station-wagon sibling, the Outback, have earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s top prize. The 2015 Legacy and Outback both improved their ratings to good from their predecessors’ acceptable score in the institute’s stringent small overlap front crash test, which approximates what happens when a vehicle strikes a tree or utility pole. In addition, the cars earned superior ratings for front crash prevention when equipped with the optional EyeSight forward collision warning system with autobrake, which stopped the vehicle completely at both 12 and 25 mph during testing.
Related: IIHS: These Used Cars Are Safer For Teen Drivers
The IIHS said structural performance improved to a score of good for the 2015 Legacy compared with a marginal rating in 2014. “The driver space was maintained well, with the safety cage preventing excessive intrusion into the occupant compartment,” IIHS said in a statement. “The dummy’s movement was well-controlled, and the frontal and side curtain airbags worked together to protect the head from contact with interior structures.”
The IIHS noted that Subaru has the most 2014 Top Safety Pick awards of any brand; other Subaru recipients include the BRZ, Impreza, Forester, WRX and XV Crosstrek. To earn a Top Safety Pick Plus award, a vehicle must earn a good or acceptable rating for small overlap protection, as well as good ratings in the institute’s moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, as well as a basic, advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention.
IIHS photo
