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March 20, 2006
Hyundai Sonata and Tucson Win 5-Star Crash Test Rating
Both the 2006 Hyundai Sonata and Tucson have received the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) top five-star crash test rating for front and side impacts.
The Tucson was the first vehicle under $20,000 with standard Electronic Stability Control and six airbags while Sonata is the only mid-size sedan with standard Electronic Stability Control and six airbags. Both have received numerous accolades, including Tucson's "Best Value Car Award Winner" from SmartMoney magazine, and Sonata's "Automotive Excellence in Safety Award" from Popular Mechanics.
The Sonata features six airbags-including dual front, front seat-mounted side-impact, and front and rear side curtain airbags-along with active front-seat head restraints. Other passive safety features include shingle-style rear seat head restraints for improved visibility, three-point seatbelts for all seating positions, front-seat seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters, and a rear-seat LATCH system for child seats. Hyundai devoted 300 new Sonatas to internal crash testing to make sure the Sonata attained NHTSA's five star rating in both front and side collisions.
The Tucson is engineered to provide its passengers with multiple defensive layers. The steel unibody has designed-in crumple zones and a high-tensile front sub-frame that are designed to work together to reduce the forces that reach the passenger compartment. To help resist intrusion, four structural rings encircle the body. All four doors also have internal guard beams to protect passengers in a side-impact collision.
The Tucson's passenger restraint systems help minimize injury. Three-point belts are provided at all five seating positions, and the front seatbelts have pretensioners and load limiters. There are two outboard rear LATCH child-seat anchors.
A total of six airbags are positioned in the Tucson's interior. Dual advanced frontal airbags are complemented by front seat-mounted side-impact airbags and roof-mounted side-curtain airbags that cover both the front and rear rows of seating.
Posted by Frank at March 20, 2006 10:07 PM | Filed under 2006 Vehicles
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