OUCH! Audi, Lexus, and Mercedes All Flunk New IIHS Crash Test!

The Acura TL and Volvo S60 got the top score of ‘Good’

The Infiniti G was deemed ‘Acceptable’

The 2012 BMW 3-Series, 2012 Acura TSX, 2012 Volkswagen CC and the 2012 Lincoln MKZ earned the score of ‘Marginal’

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the Audi A4 the Lexus ES and IS got the lowest rating of ‘Poor’.

"The Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the Audi A4 the Lexus ES and IS got the lowest rating of ‘Poor’."

- What about Lexus "Quality"? Lexus has the best Quality, so therefore it’s impossible for another car to outperform any Lexus in a crash test.

Do the cars that perform better than the Lexus have better "quality" than the Lexus? Or does the Lexus still have the best "quality" regardless of it doing poorly in a crash test.

ES is redesigned for 2013. Like mercedes says test is BS....

Why is it BS? Because it wasn't done at 65 mph instead of 40?

Bring on the next round of automotive weight gains.

People who have survived accidents thanks to the previous round may have just a slightly different perspective on this.

What was my perspective? Safety's bad? I'm just curious as to what dictates the pace of changing crash-worthiness requirements and where it ends. We're quite certain right now that a full roll cage, helmet and Hans device will provide good results, but we know we have to balance it with consumer desires and economic practicality.

Still, how many types of accidents and at what speeds do we want to provide full protection from? Did we just learn last year that people are dying from the types of accidents this test simulates or did we just decide this is the year they deserve to survive? Do we just want to build bubble-tanks that will harm no-one and protect everyone or do we set limits and shift focus more toward accident avoidance?

Thank you for clarifying your perspective. As technology and our value for human life improve so should the standards that keep us safe. There is no time that is too soon.

These are great tests, I'm surprised by the auto manufacturers don't do them.

Trimming weight is very visible on new cars, I mean popup the hood on a new car and notice what now covers the tires, no metal for sure, it's just a thin plastic layer!

This is why the fender in this test can't handle the impact.

There is no way in hell that any Lexus would fail a crash test. Lexus has the best "Quality".

For Mercedes Drivers...If the Pre-Safe system, Distronic Plus System, Blind Spot Assist System, Lane Departure Assist System, Attention Assist System, ESP System, ABC System...(catching breath) did not warn you, you must be trying to crash the car!

...Wow LexSucks, your name fits you very well. Oh and of course you would find Agent009 right at the top of this adverstisement. Will this new knowledge cause Lexus to lose a lot of buyers, I doubt it. In fact if anything it will cause awareness on Lexus to, once again, up their game. Gotta do better than this care 10 and the infamous 009. Next!

Stick a set of 22"s on there and redo the tests. Offset frontal crashes are never very photogenic. There's plenty of other tests to brag about, and apparently much cheaper to build for.
Marketing has engineered the cars again...