Chrysler’s Town & Country replacement, the all-new Pacifica has become the first minivan to earn a 2016 Top Safety Pick+ Award from the IIHS.
The minivan earned ‘good’ ratings in the five crashworthiness tests, including the challenging small overlap front, but the designation only applies to Pacificas produced after August 2016, when the automaker operated a few changes that prevent the driver’s door from opening during a crash.
“Fiat Chrysler strengthened the upper hinge and reinforced the joint between the door hinge pillar and inner body panel in front of the pillar“, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) noted, reminding that “the Town & Country was rated poor for small overlap protection, due to severe intrusion into the driver space.“
Contributing to its top rating is the optional front crash prevention system, classified as ‘superior’, which helped the minivan avoid collisions in both tests, at 12 mph (19 km/h) and 25 mph (40 km/h), respectively.
The system meets the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) criteria and combines automatic emergency braking with forward collision, working in conjunction with radar sensors and cameras. The technology responds only when a frontal impact appears imminent and comprises audible and visual driver warnings.
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