If you're in the market for an all-new, entry-level vehicle for you or your family, good news! The 2015 Honda Fit has earned stellar crash test ratings. And, it's not just from one agency. Let me explain.
So, not only did the Fit conquer the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) tests with a Top Safety Pick rating, it also passed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) NCAP testing with a five star, overall, rating.
This is a big deal.
That's because that myth about small cars not doing well in crash tests is still alive and well these days. As long as vehicles that are small in stature continue to take the pain and earn high scoring rankings, maybe that will change.
Honda's press release follows:
All-New 2015 Honda Fit Achieves Highest Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TORRANCE, Calif.
Subcompact Fit achieves both an NCAP 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score and an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK rating
Fit is the fifth Honda vehicle for 2015 to achieve top crash safety ratings from both from IIHS and NHTSA
The spacious, fuel-efficient and versatile 2015 Honda Fit (http://automobiles.honda.com/fit/), has received a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score, the top score available in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). The Fit, completely redesigned in 2014, earns both a TOP SAFETY PICK rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and a NCAP 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score from NHTSA for 2015, making it even more of a standout choice in its segment.
"The Fit shows that owning a smaller car doesn't mean you need to skimp on space, comfort or crashworthiness," said Art St. Cyr, vice president of auto operations at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Honda's commitment to the safety of our customers and other road users is second to none, and the Fit demonstrates this commitment in a powerful way."
Already the benchmark subcompact in terms of passenger and cargo space and innovative features, occupant safety features for the 2015 Honda Fit are further enhanced through the next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure. The ACE™ body structure improves frontal crash energy management through a wider range of offset and oblique collision modes. In addition, other body reinforcements work in tandem with the strengthened body structure to better maintain the occupant compartment volume during frontal collisions by providing additional crash energy pathways to help mitigate the forces transmitted to the passenger compartment.
Key Safety and Driver-Assistive Features:
In addition to the next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body-structure, the 2015 Fit features a host of standard active and passive safety features and offers many standard and available driver-assistive technologies:
Driver and Front Passenger SmartVent™ Side Airbags
Side Curtain Airbags with Rollover Sensor
Motion-Adaptive Electric Power Steering (EPS) – a feature of VSA
Hill Start Assist
Expanded View Driver's Mirror
Honda LaneWatchTM
Multi-Angle Rearview Camera with Guidelines
Standard safety equipment on all 2015 Honda models includes the next-generation of Honda's ACE™ body structure, Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) with traction control; an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS); side curtain airbags (some vehicles equipped with a rollover sensor as well); dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags; and front side airbags.
Honda Safety Leadership
Honda has a long history of leadership in the development and application of advanced technologies designed to enhance the safety of all road users, including automobile occupants, motorcycle riders and pedestrians. The company operates two of the world's most sophisticated crash test facilities, in Ohio and Japan, and is responsible for numerous pioneering efforts in the areas of crashworthiness, airbag technology, collision compatibility and pedestrian safety. The company is broadly applying advanced driver-assistive technologies such as LaneWatch™, Forward Collision Warning and Lane Departure Warning to its product lineup and has applied rearview cameras as standard equipment to 100-percent of its line-up for 2015.