Tesla Schools The Industry On How To Make A Crashworthy Crossover

The link points to a blog from TeslaRati.com. I'd recommend that readers do their own due diligence to fact-check assumptions and claims. For example, does the statement "making it the safest SUV possible" mean:
a) All other SUVs are not as safe, or...
b) There are other SUVs that share the same 5-star rating

Also check each of the categories for legitimacy and assumptions. The controversial, new "crash prevention" criteria is questionable, as it hasn't proven to actually reduce the number of crashes. It's the presence of tech-stuff that some people *believe* will likely help to avoid collisions.

In today's era of #AlternateFacts and #FakeNews, my caution-flag goes up whenever someone with a vested interest touts how totally great they are... we're the best... nobody else is better... trust me, I know... important people say do... we're great.

It's the safest SUV ever. Get over it.

OR, instead of trying to play journalistic hero, you could give the link yourself to show the 5-star rating for the 2017 Model X. go to the link below and type in Tesla Model X, and voila, results. And no, I'm not going to sit here and compare every SUV extant b/c the 5-star rating speaks for itself and tells me it's probably the safest SUV on the road.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/ratings#vehicle

Sorry - but you are interpreting the tests NHTSA does incorrectly.

NTSA does NOT determine whether a car is safe on the road - only the results in specific tests. For example- NHTSA does not test damage from a rear collision - or a collision with a much bigger vehicle. While doing well on a NHTSA test might indicate a vehicle is more safe in a particular type of crash - we already know that manufacturers can produce cars tailored to do well in the NHTSA tests - that may have significant problems with other real world instances.(THey do the same with EPA fuel usages testing too) As a result - you MIGHT be correct in saying that a particular vehicle will be good in the real world IF it gets into a crash that is exactly the same as the NHTSA test - but you cannot claim that it would be better in all real world conditions - because that cannot and will not ever be tested.

And while a vehicle may be crash worthy against the object NHTSA crashes into - it is likely that you will not find the exact same situation on the road as well. In fact - relying on a good crash rating will never be an acceptable thing to do when driving - since it is likely to result in less acceptable driving performance that would negate any benefits NHTSA seems to indicate.

In the end - while it is nice to have a car that has been specifically built to do well in the NHTSA tests - but the best safety is not getting into a crash in the first place - which is often the result of safe driving - and yet - there are FEW people who actually (Unless required by court) take advanced driving safety courses - which likely would result in a better result on the road than any car's NHTSA rating.

@Steve: a SIMPLE FACT that "the Model X has officially been awarded a 5-star safety rating by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) in every safety category" - emphasis on "5-star ... in EVERY SAFETY category" - and you spin it to imply that "There are other SUVs that share the same 5-star rating" ???

Name one that scores 5-star in EVERY CATEGORY ?

You seem to pick up these tricks right from the "Faux News", and it has shown here lately. WTF Steve ???

Actually - as I have often pointed out in Polls of owners for a particular question- @Steve is correct - doing well on NHTSA tests has NOT been correlated to significantly better performance in real world driving. While it MAY imply that if a vehicle gets into a crash that exactly duplicates the test ones - you could expect the ratings to be similar - but you cannot even say that the ratings are the same for all examples of a particular vehicle - since metal and production methods would create differences between them.

NHTSA only specifies that the particular vehicles it tested performed in a particular way for ITS particular tests - that similar performance MIGHT BE likely but not sure - if you have the same model vehicle and you get into crashes that match the ones they test for - which is highly unlikely. Since we know vehicles have been modified in order to produce a better score on a NHTSA test - we also know that this does not guarantee that the vehicle will be any better than any other on crashes that NHTSA does not test for. Since there are FAR more of those than the ones they do test for - your guess as to how a vehicle will perform in the real world is not necessarily indicated by how well it performed on NHTSA tests. A manufacturer could easily design a vehicle around those NHTSA tests to get a good score for an otherwise unsafe vehicle. Just as manufacturers have learned to produce vehicles that do much better on EPA mileage Tests than they do in the real world - NHTSA tests are just another example of such production.

@Tom: Polls are subjective whereas NSTSA crash tests are objectives. Under the same test conditions, the vehicle with better rating is "safer" with respect to the criteria of such tests - hence the claim "safest" refers to vehicle with highest ratings for those tests. There is nothing wrong with that claim.

NHTSA crash tests are not designed to cover ALL real world conditions - you should know that. To say a manufacturer, in this case Tesla, designs its vehicle to "ace" the crash tests without consideration for real world scenarios is beyond absurd. It has been proven time and again Tesla Model S is THE SAFEST sedan on the road, period (driver's gross negligence notwithstanding). The Model X follows the same path.

The fact that Steve used the terms "#AlternateFacts and #FakeNews" in his comment indicates his intent to spin. And that's why I objected.

@HenryN This is scaring me. We agree.

Sorry Henry = but you are just plain wrong about manufacturers - we can produce numerous examples of them doing things just to pass a NHTSA test - Ford - for example - added a cross brace on the front suspension only to pass one NHTSA test - something that was well reported.

NHTSA tests vehicles under closed conditions - inside(No rain or snow) - only on a clean concrete floor - without drivers - with specific acceleration and speed rates - and with Dummies in some seats. I would suggest that YOU are unlikely to limit yourself to those exact conditions in the real world - nor will anyone else - it simply does not correlate to the real world.

It would require real world data to indicate performance in the real world - and even then - it would not separate the car performance from that of the driver or driving conditions - so such a claim could NEVER be supported. I would suggest that driving a TANK would be far more safe though.

What we do know about Tesla's is that a number of major insurance companies RAISED rates on Tesla cars because their average cost of repairs in accidents is higher than expected. That could be an indicator of greater damage in actual accidents - as well as higher cost of parts and labor due to lack of supplier competition.

@TomM: your last paragraph " ... a number of major insurance companies RAISED rates on Tesla cars because their average cost of repairs in accidents ... "

I think you are mixed up between SAFETY (to the human in a car crash) and COST of repair. Safer cars will crumble more during a collision to dissipate impact force, have more airbags to deploy, ... so obviously they require more cost to repair.

I am sure many Tesla drivers will attest to the accuracy of your statement about insurance rate and cost of accident repairs. I am about to find out if that is true when I get my Model 3.

Of the cars I have, the Ford Focus EV is the cheapest to insure, and is among the top 20 most dangerous cars to drive (high fatality rate). I can't wait to replace it with the Model 3, high insurance rate and all.

@BobM: "So there's a likelihood that in the real world hasn't caught up yo Tesla's accolades"

I know many of you don't like Tesla and what it has achieved. That's fine with me - But denying the merit of the test results and use isolated examples to imply that Tesla may have done something with its design to ONLY ACE the crash tests is not exactly honorable. If the NHTSA ratings are high on consumer's consideration (ratings are prominently displayed on new cars' window stickers), why would Tesla not gloat about it ? Who wouldn't ?

I don't know which software Tesla uses to design its cars, but simple physics tell me Tesla vehicles - as well as future EVs designed in similar manner - are inherently safe due to (1) large front crumble zone, and (2) low center of gravity. If you bother to look up NHTSA data and compare The Model X to other known safe SUV such as Volvo XC60 AWD, the Model X gets 5 stars in roll-over crashes whereas XC60 only gets 4.

It's easy to downplay the role of government in anything due to ineffectiveness and bureaucracy, but it takes a lot of scientific study and engineering data to come up with a set of tests that BEST emulate real world conditions, and which can only cover limited scenarios due to obvious reasons - cost. And because of cost, which car company will volunteer to make improvements on their own ? The list is very short - Tesla - because as often touted by Musk, safety is the highest priority for Tesla vehicles.

Speaking of a better way to improve safety, Tesla and a host of other prominent tech companies (Apple, Google, ... ) are working on AI autonomous driving - a subject tabooed on this site and hated by many a car enthusiasts but will ultimately save lives by removing the drivers. I may not like it now as I still want to drive, but I probably will accept it eventually as an option.

Bob, you proved once again you are unable to conduct a civil argument without foaming at the mouth and calling names. What tickles your facial nerves and freezes your brain function ?

I bet Tesla employees read this site just for the laughs. Six wannabees and never weres all denigrating Tesla when every independent unbiased article you read confirms they are competing head to head with the top companies in the industry and producing a better product.

Tesla employees are too busy with things that matter. There are Tesla haters everywhere, not just here. Tesla is not perfect and needs objective criticism when they mess up, but the blind rage here obfuscates all of it.

Wonder if the EU NCAP rankings will corroborate or not.
The Model S did well:

http://www.euroncap.com/en/results/tesla/model-s/7897