Temple of VTEC Rumors and News - Honda Odyssey Earns "Best Pick" Rating in IIHS Frontal Crash Test

Torrance, Calif. 04/11/2005 --

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) ranks the all-new 2005 Honda Odyssey as a "Best Pick" among minivans in recently completed frontal offset crash tests. Overall, the Odyssey received a "Good" designation in all tested categories, including the structure/safety cage rating and injury measurements for head/neck, chest, leg and feet for left and right occupants.

"Honda is committed to leading the automotive industry by offering advanced safety technologies like side curtain airbags as standard equipment and introducing new technology that enhances collision safety," said John Mendel, senior vice president of American Honda. "The 2005 Odyssey makes choosing a safe vehicle simple for consumers because equipment that is typically optional and expensive on other minivans is standard on every Odyssey we sell."

Completely redesigned for 2005, the Odyssey incorporates Honda's exclusive Advanced Compatibility Engineering(TM) (ACE(TM)) body structure. The ACE body uses a network of reinforced frontal frame structures that provides enhanced occupant protection in a frontal collision. The ACE body structure helps reduce the likelihood for cabin intrusion by minimizing the potential for misalignment of the vehicle's energy-absorbing safety structure in an off-set collision or in a collision between vehicles of differing size or ride height.

In keeping with Honda's industry-leading "Safety for Everyone" initiative, all Odyssey models come equipped with a comprehensive list of advanced safety features including anti-lock brakes; Vehicle Stability Assist with Traction Control; front side airbags with an Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); side curtain airbag protection (with rollover sensor) for all three rows; and dual-stage, dual-threshold driver's and front passenger's airbags. In addition, the Odyssey is the only minivan to come equipped with dedicated side impact sensors for all three rows and the only minivan to offer a rollover sensor that deploys the side curtain air bags in the event of a rollover.

The demanding IIHS offset tests involve 40 percent of a vehicle's front end hitting a deformable barrier at 40 mph. A "Good" score indicates that the vehicle's front-end structure absorbs and manages the crash energy so the occupant compartment remains largely intact with little or no intrusion into the driver's space, and a person's movement during a crash is more likely to be well controlled with injury likelihood reduced.

The 2005 Odyssey also earned the federal government's top rating of Five Stars for both front seating positions in the frontal impact test performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as a part of its New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).