Crash tests hang Hummer, massage Murano

The newest Nissan Murano was the best performer in the latest round of crash tests of midsize SUVs conducted recently in the US, while the Hummer H3, recently launched in Australia, had one of the poorest results.

The Nissan was the only vehicle among nine tested to score the highest rating in front, side and rear crash tests.

The US-spec, left-hand-drive H3 was the only vehicle in the group that didn't get the top rating for frontal crash protection and was rated only "acceptable" because the test suggested there is a high posibility of injury to the driver's right leg.

The H3 also got an "acceptable" rating in the side crash test and the worst rating of "poor" in the rear crash test.

The side crash results for the Hummer, Kia Sorento and Dodge Nitro were all adversely affected by their lack of crash bags that protected the torso -- while each has curtain crash bags that protect the head, the tests indicated a likelihood of injuries to the driver's torso and rib cage.

The Jeep Wrangler also got a low rating for side protection because its side crash bags are optional and the tests are conducted on vehicles without optional equipment. The Wrangler was the only vehicle in the test sample without standard side bags.

The worst performers in the rear crash test were the H3, the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro, while the  Wrangler and Mazda’s CX-7 got the second-lowest rating of "marginal" on the rear test, which measures the risk of injury from whiplash. The CX-7 would have been one of the top-rated vehicles if it hadn't performed so poorly in the rear crash test.

The frontal crash test simulates a 65km/h head-on impact and its effect on the driver, while the rear test simulates a 32km/h crash, while the side crash simulates what  happens if the vehicle was hit on the side by an SUV at 50km/h, with crash test dummies in front and rear seats.

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