The 2020 Subaru WRX is a top safety pick winner. See how it compares with other American sports cars.
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Sports car shoppers are more concerned with engine performance, driving dynamics, and stopping power than safety performance, but if you get in an accident and have serious injuries, you will be asking why your car didn’t protect you. The new 2020 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) safety scores are out and reveal which sports cars excel or fall short in safety technology.
The Subaru brand ties for the most top safety picks from IIHS with 9 models, and the 2020 Subaru WRX with EyeSight driver assist safety technology (and specific headlights) is one of its models getting a Top Safety Pick score.
This means the sport-tuned sedan is going to protect you best in the event of a serious crash. How does the 2020 Subaru WRX compare with American sports cars like the 2020 Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger?
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It’s important to know that IIHS made their safety testing more stringent for the 2020 model year vehicle testing. For the first time, IIHS criteria require that vehicles achieve a ‘Good’ rating for the passenger-side small overlap front collision. The small overlap tests are designed to replicate what happens when just the front corner of the vehicle collides with another vehicle or if you wrap your car around a tree or utility pole.
The 2020 WRX received the highest ‘Superior’ rating in front crash prevention for vehicle-to-vehicle and also vehicle-to-pedestrian crashes. In the 12 mph and 25 mph IIHS tests, the 2020 WRX was able to completely avoid a collision. In the vehicle-to-pedestrian tests, WRX was able to reduce its speed before hitting a crossing adult or child at 13 mph and a parallel adult at 21 mph.
The 2020 Chevrolet Camaro gets a sub-par Basic rating for vehicle-to-vehicle and no rating in vehicle-to-pedestrian crashes. The Ford Mustang meets the basic requirements for forward collision warning and no rating in vehicle-to-pedestrian crashes. The 2020 Dodge Challenger gets a sub-par Basic rating for vehicle-to-vehicle and no rating in vehicle-to-pedestrian crashes. None of the American sports cars earn a top safety score.
You might be asking as we did, how does the 2020 Subaru WRX compare with the Honda Civic Type R and the 2020 Volkswagen Golf R sports cars? The 2020 Honda Civic earns a Top Safety Pick award but it does not apply to the Type R variant. The 2020 Volkswagen Golf hatchback gets Superior rating in front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle and an advanced rating in vehicle-to-pedestrian tests. The VW Golf does not earn a top safety pick award and the Golf R is not rated.
The most-affordable safest sports car with the highest IIHS safety score is the sports-tuned 2020 Subaru WRX ($27,495). With more stringent 2020 IIHS testing, it earns the Top Safety Pick award and the sports car has received the top safety award now for the last 12 years.
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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. All of his reports are archived on our Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Subaru Report. Check back tomorrow for more Subaru news and updates at Torque News!
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Photo credit: Subaru USA, Subaru Canada
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My husband had. 2018 STI.
My husband had. 2018 STI. Someone made a left hand turn in front of him causing him to T-Bone them. Totaled both cars. Had it not been for Subaru’s safety features he would have 2 broken legs. He was doing 40-45 MPH when they pulled in front of him. Let me know if you want to see photos of his car.