As reported in the Los Angeles Times, the "new test -- in which 25% of a car's front end on the driver's side strikes a 5-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph -- simulates a wreck in which the front corner of the car hits another car or a solid object." Notably, two Toyota models scored poorly on the new test - "the new Prius v, a wagon version of the popular hybrid, scored last among 18 cars tested, with "poor" ratings in five of seven categories. The Camry -- America's bestselling passenger car -- scored next to last."
Specifically, the "'Camry's driver airbag and side curtain airbag deployed, but the steering wheel moved so far to the right that the dummy's head made only minimal contact with the front airbag. The side curtain airbag didn't extend far enough forward to help prevent the dummy's head from hitting the instrument panel,' the institute said in its report. 'In the Prius v, the side curtain airbag deployed too late in the crash to offer protection.'"
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