When we're reviewing a car we take its driving dynamics, features, tech, and price into consideration, but one of the most important areas we look at is safety.
It doesn't matter how good a car looks or how intuitive its infotainment system is, if it's lacking in safety features then it becomes difficult to recommend. And we have organizations like the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety—or IIHS to learn how vehicles from various classes perform in meticulously designed crash tests.
For 2023, IIHS put a crop of midsize sedans (and one car-based SUV) through an updated—and tougher—version of its moderate overlap front crash test with a focused evaluation on rear seat protection. This updated version of the test adds a dummy in the back seat behind the driver. The dummy in the back seat is "the size of a small woman or 12-year-old child" while the dummy in the driver's seat is the size of an "average adult man."
IIHS updated the test after research showed that the risk of a fatal injury in newer vehicles is higher for belted occupants in the rear seats than in the front. The organization stresses that this isn't because back seats have become less safe, but because front seats have become more safe due to improved airbags and seatbelts that generally aren't available in the back. Even with that being the case, IIHS says that the rear seat is still the safest for young children as they can be injured by rapidly inflating airbags.
So, how did the six vehicles do in this new test? Generally speaking, not great. That said, some vehicles did better than others and one in particular excelled. Let's take a look at the results, as well as where each one ranks on the MotorTrend Ultimate Car Rankings. As a reminder, IIHS rates vehicles 'good,' 'acceptable,' 'marginal,' or 'poor' on its individual tests.
Keeping in mind that this specific IIHS test was for small rear seat passengers, the 2023 Volkswagen Jetta didn't fare very well. IIHS found that the rear passenger's head came too close to the front seatback. Additional measurements recorded from the rear seated dummy showed "injuries to the head or neck and chest and excessive belt forces." In other IIHS evaluations, the identical 2022 Jetta earned "good" scores in crashworthiness categories but didn't receive high marks for its headlights, seatbelt reminders, or child seat tether anchors.
The 2023 Volkswagen Jetta ranks last in MotorTrend's compact sedan category. We are impressed, however, by the wealth of standard features, such as the 6.5-inch infotainment touchscreen, 8.0-inch digital gauge cluster, and automatic LED headlights. On the other hand, we remain unimpressed with the Jetta's cheap plastic interior and overall lack of personality. It also doesn't drive as well as the more affordable Honda Civic.
One of the major safety risks for rear passengers is something called "submarining." This is when a rear-seat passenger slides underneath the lap belt causing it to move up to the abdomen and increasing the likelihood of internal injuries. This is one of the main reasons why the 2023 Kia K5 sedan earned a "poor" rating in the moderate overlap front crash test. In the K5, the rear shoulder belt also moved off the shoulder to the neck of the dummy, which is undesirable for obvious reasons.
The 2023 Kia K5 is a 2022 Top Safety Pick.
Coming in below the Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata in our midsize sedan rankings, the 2023 Kia K5 sedan has a sporty design, with its angular headlights and aggressive front fascia more than capable of turning heads. The K5 is also generous with standard features and the GT model has plenty of grunt. That said, the base model's engine is lacking, the steering needs improvement, and its suspension is a bit too stiff for the family sedan segment.
It's no surprise the 2023 Hyundai Sonata had many of the same issues as the Kia K5 in the IIHS moderate overlap front crash test—they're both based on the same platform. The crash test dummy in the rear seat of the Sonata displayed submarining and the rear shoulder belt moved toward the dummy's neck. The Sonata scored well in IIHS tests in other areas, and the LED headlights on the Premium trim earned Hyundai's family sedan a 2023 Top Safety Pick award.
The 2023 Hyundai Sonata is a 2023 Top Safety Pick.
The 2023 Hyundai Sonata sits at #2 in our overall midsize sedan category, and for good reason. It comes with plenty of standard safety tech like automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, and automatic high beams. Its satisfying driving dynamics and good looks don't hurt it either. Our biggest complaints is that it doesn't offer optional all-wheel drive like some of its competition, and the suspension could stand to be a bit on the softer side.
The Toyota Camry fared better than the Jetta, K5, and Sonata, but not by much. Like the aforementioned vehicles, in testing the rear passenger test dummy in the 2023 Toyota Camry submarined and the shoulder belt also moved toward its neck. Despite that, the dummy indicated better results in the head, neck, and chest areas. This helped the Camry nose ahead of the bottom three vehicles, although there is certainly room for improvement.
The 2023 Toyota Camry is a 2023 Top Safety Pick+.
Sitting mid-pack among midsize sedans, the Toyota Camry embodies "good enough." The three engine options—including a hybrid—upscale standard features, and high overall safety ratings are all positives for this long-running family sedan. It's lacking performance when compared to its peers, and has a smaller back seat, which held it back in our rankings.
An all-new Camry is due next year for 2025 so we'll see how things change with that model.
Submarining and shoulder belt migration to the neck once again occurred during the IIHS's test of the 2023 Nissan Altima. In the case of Altima, IIHS tests only indicated a "moderate risk" to the head and neck for the rear passenger. Like the Toyota Camry, the Nissan Altima earned a "marginal" rating for rear passenger chest injury measures. However, it got a "poor" rating for rear passenger restraints and kinematics, likely due to the submarining and shoulder belt moving.
The 2023 Nissan Altima slots in just below the Toyota Camry at #6 in our midsize sedan category. The Altima comes standard with Nissan's "Safety Shield 360" feature bundle which includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear automatic braking, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic high beams. That safety package, along with the Altima's admirable fuel economy, makes it worth considering. Even so, the Altima does suffer from poor ride quality and doors that sound hollow.
The 2023 Nissan Altima is a 2022 Top Safety Pick.
The 2023 Subaru Outback is our #1 ranking vehicle in the midsize SUV category and is the only SUV among the new ratings released by IIHS. In the moderate overlap crash test, IIHS officials say that the Outback "didn't show any elevated injury risks," for the rear seated test dummy. The dummy still submarined under the rear lap belt and its head got close to the front seatback. However, there was no mention of shoulder belt migration toward the dummy's neck. It was also noted the dummy's head slipped between the side curtain airbag and made contact with the rear window door trim.
The 2023 Subaru Outback is a 2023 Top Safety Pick+.
The 2023 Subaru Outback rides nicely, has a roomy cabin, and offers comfortable seats—all great features to have in an SUV equipped to venture off the beaten path. More important, the Outback comes with Subaru's EyeSight suite of safety features and driver assist tech. Adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking, and automatic high beams are all standard equipment with EyeSight. Our complaints mostly land on the Outback's unimpressive infotainment touchscreen, the tuning of its CVT automatic, and slow base engine.
The 2023 Honda Accord is the only vehicle in the group that earned a "good" rating in the IIHS moderate overlap test. IIHS says the Accord provided "stellar protection in the back seat." The rear dummy measurements showed no signs of increased risk of injuries, and the IIHS praised the Accord's rear restraints and their ability to control the motion of the dummy. The Accord's scores were a nearly perfect "good'' across the board, but it earned an "acceptable" rating for driver's leg and foot injury measures. The rear measures were rated "good."
The 2023 Honda Accord is a 2023 Top Safety Pick+.
Car crash tests:Seven midsized cars went through a crash safety test. These three received 'poor' ratings.
There's a lot to like about the 2023 Honda Accord, our top pick among midsize family sedans. The 11th-generation sedan has an excellent new design, updated engine options, and plenty of big, beautiful screens for infotainment. Yet some of the most notable features are likely also why it scored so well in IIHS testing. The 2023 Accord comes with a new camera and radar package that both have wider fields of view. Blind-spot monitoring and traffic sign recognition come standard, and the 2023 Accord features redesigned airbags, which includes a new side impact airbag for the rear passengers.
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