Koeppel Subaru in Queens, NY is proud to announce that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has named the 2021 Subaru Ascent a 2020 Top Safety Pick+. The Ascent is a full-size, 3-row seating SUV that joins 8 other Subaru models in winning the IIHS honors, making for a total of 9 Top Safety Picks this year that include the Forester, Legacy, Outback, Impreza Sedan and 5-Door, Crosstrek, Crosstrek Hybrid and the exciting WRX.
Adding Steering Responsive LED Headlights with High Beam Assist to the long list of innovative standard equipment elevated the Ascent to receive the honor. To earn this coveted designation, vehicles must have high ratings in 6 of IIHS' crash tests consisting of Driver-Side Small Overlap Front, Passenger-Side Small Overlap Front, Moderate Overlap Front, Side, Roof Strength, and Head Restraint tests.
Top Safety Pick winner's must also achieve high ratings in headlight tests as well as front crash prevention measures in both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian collision tests. EyeSight® Driver Assist Technology, that monitors traffic movement, optimizes cruise control, and warns drivers when the vehilce sways outside the lane, earned the Ascent "Superior" ratings for both of these tests.
New for 2020, IIHS has added the passenger-side small overlap front collision test and pedestrain crash prevention test to the Top Safety Pick criteria as part of a larger effort to significantly reduce vehicular collisions and pedestrian fatalities. This effort by all auto manuafacturers includes making automatic emergency braking standard on all makes and models by 2022. Subaru's EyeSight® Technology puts the Ascent at the forefront of the trend. The IIHS has determined that pedestrian deaths have increased 53% since 2009, and the advent of automatic emergency braking will go far in reducing that alarming statistic.
