If you think that small, lightweight sports cars can’t be safe, think again: the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has given both the Scion FR-S and its fraternal twin, the Subaru BRZ, a Top Safety Pick award. Earned by achieving high marks in frontal offset crash, side impact, rear impact and roof strength testing, a Top Safety Pick award recognizes automaker achievements in safety engineering. It also helps automakers sell cars, since safety has become a primary shopping point for many new car buyers.
Also earning Top Safety Pick status in the latest round of testing were the Honda Civic-based 2013 Acura ILX sedan and the 2013 Ford Escape crossover, which did significantly better in roof strength testing than its predecessor.
If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like to drive a Scion FR-S into a barrier at 40 miles per hour, or how your head would fare in a 30 mph side impact, wonder no more. Thanks to the IIHS, we’ve got the footage from its crash testing schedule, and it’s enough to convince us that even safe cars are dangerous to stack. We don’t recommend you try this at home, either.
Also, don’t forget that you can get discounted new car pricing with a free quote through qualified local dealer partners.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
