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Chrysler, Nissan minivans earn 'dire' crash test results, says IIHS [w/video]

First introduced in 2012, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's small-overlap frontal crash test has become the bane of many auto engineers' existence. It's a particularly steep design challenge because it forces just 25 percent of a vehicle's front end to take the brunt of a 40-mile-per-hour impact. The newly released results of four family-minded minivans underscore just how difficult the crash test is: only one scored an Acceptable rating, and the other three did very poorly. The 2008-2015 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, plus the 2011-2015 Nissan Quest, all received Poor ratings in the test, the IIHS' lowest possible score. The three of them showed significant crash intrusion into the driver's area. The dummy in the Nissan actually had to be cut out of the vehicle, with an IIHS spokesperson remarking, "the structure collapsed like a house of cards." In the Fiat Chrysler Automobile vans, the steering wheels moved out of the way, making the airbag less effective and letting the driver's head hit the dashboard. While it was not actually crashed, the agency is also giving the 2009-12 Volkswagen Routan a Poor score because it shares a structure with the FCA models. The newly released results of four minivans underscore just how difficult the small-offset crash test is. The refreshed 2015 Toyota Sienna (shown), conversely, earned an Acceptable rating and is also a Top Safety Pick+ because of its optional forward collision warning and automatic braking system. While the crash test dummy moved around during the impact more than the agency would have liked, sensors showed a low risk of injuries. The IIHS tested the Honda Odyssey last year, and it earned a Good overall score, the agency's best ranking. It's also a Top Safety Pick+ vehicle. The only member of the minivan segment left to test is the latest Kia Sedona, and the Institute is reportedly waiting a little longer for Kia to make changes to improve the model's performance. When reached for comment, Nissan spokesperson Steve Yaeger provided Autoblog with the following statement: "Nissan is committed to vehicle safety and believes that consumers should have information about crash protection so they can make educated buying decisions. Nissan is proud of the 2014 Quest's "good" rating in the IIHS front moderate overlap and side impact tests as well as a "good" head restraint rating.

2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Long-Term Update | Winter vacation

DESTIN, Fla. — You know you want a minivan. Wait, you say. That's not me. I'm not old enough. Or I don't have that many kids. Or ... No. You want a minivan. And after multiple family vacations and weekends in Autoblog's long-term 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, I'm happy to explain why. Let's break it down. — The functionality is off-the-charts. From the multiple ways you can open and close the doors to the sheer volume of stuff you can load into them, minivans are leaders in user experience. — The cargo volume is immense and usable. We were able to simply pack up our lives and go to Destin, Fla., for a week on the Gulf. Two adults and a 1-year-old had plenty of space and creature comforts for the drive from Michigan. We moved the passenger seat forward so there was a mini pod in the second row where my wife and baby spent most of the time. During a brief spell from driving, I nestled back there for a bit, sipping coffee and playing cards on the seat-mounted entertainment screen. — In back, our manifest was prodigious. A cooler. A beach blanket. Beach chairs. Three large suitcases. A Pack 'n Play. A baby chair. Food. Boxes of wipes and diapers. A stroller. Beer and wine. Jellycat. Way more things that I've forgotten. It was also the maiden voyage for our Britax Boulevard ClickTight carseat, which fit securely. Installing a carseat easily is one of life's simple joys. The 2018 Pacifica Hybrid lists 197.3 cubic feet of cargo volume, and we used most of it. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. — We did have some space left over, which was actually more impressive to me. When three people can drive across the country with everything they need for a week and then wonder what else they maybe should bring, that speaks volumes (I know) to the usability of the cargo volume. On an earlier trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, we took all of this stuff plus a golden retriever, her crate, her food and camping gear. And still had room left over. — The Pacifica has a 24.3-inch lift-over height, which means it's easy to load. You can put the seats down and still reach far into the cargo hold. That's the beauty of minivans. Our family has a three-row SUV that you have to stretch to load and unload. We thought we wanted an SUV. We didn't realize we actually wanted a minivan. — And therein lies the inherent beauty of minivans.

Fiat Chrysler to test automatically switching hybrid cars to electric mode in Turin

MILAN — Fiat Chrysler is piloting a project in its historic Italian home of Turin to allow its hybrid plug-in cars to automatically switch to electric-only mode when entering congested city centers. The project, which aims to maximize the environmental benefits of hybrid cars, comes as Fiat Chrysler (FCA) rolls out its first alternative-engine models, trying to make up ground on rivals which already offer a range of full electric and hybrid vehicles in Europe. The project, named 'Turin Geofencing Lab' and involving the city authorities and public transport agency GTT, is based on a prototype system with fully integrated on-board sensors allowing a car to recognize when it is entering a restricted traffic zone, FCA said on Wednesday. The sensors will then automatically turn off the combustion engine and switch to electric mode. This would allow hybrid cars to enjoy dispensations for electric vehicles in the city center, including dedicated parking spaces. The system has been initially tested on the new Jeep Renegade 4xe hybrid plug-in model. The tests could be extended to the group's other hybrid models from next year. The COVID-19 crisis has not significantly delayed FCA's plans to launch its first full-electric and hybrid models. An electric version of the Fiat 500 small car and plug-in hybrid versions of Jeep's Renegade and Compass models are due to hit the market this summer. A similar project was launched last year by German carmaker BMW and Rotterdam, with a smart-phone reminder to switch-off combustion engines when passing a virtual boundary into the Dutch city's "electric-only zone." But that did not entail such a direct link between the vehicle and the city's access platform and gates to restricted traffic zones, as in Turin's case. Roberto Di Stefano, FCA's Head of EMEA e-Mobility, said that once the Turin project was completed, it would be gradually offered to other cities, in Italy and abroad.   Green Chrysler Fiat Jeep