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SEARCHThe Insurance Institute for Highway Safety names the 2017 luxury SUV a Top Safety Pick+ award winner.
Photo: IIHS
The redesigned 2017 model-year Audi Q7 has earned the Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The large luxury SUV drew “good” ratings in all five of the IIHS crashworthiness tests and scored a “superior” rating for the vehicle’s standard front crash prevention system, IIHS said.
Because IIHS doesn’t routinely test large SUVs, the Audi Q7 is the first to be put through the challenging small overlap front crash test. IIHS introduced this test in 2012.
The Q7 was tested because Audi nominated it for the Top Safety Pick+ award and paid for the vehicles used, IIHS said.
In 2016, vehicles qualify for Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ if they earn “good” ratings in all five crashworthiness evaluations — small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints. Additionally, qualifying vehicles must have an available front crash prevention system. If the system earns a “basic” rating, the vehicle qualifies for Top Safety Pick. The “plus” is awarded to vehicles with an “advanced” or “superior” rating for front crash prevention.
(To watch video footage of the small overlap front crash test, click on the photo or link below the headline.)
In the front crash prevention evaluation, the Q7 avoided a collision in the 12 mph track test. In the 25 mph test, the vehicle’s speed was cut by an average of 23 mph, according to IIHS. The system also includes a forward collision warning component that meets National Highway Traffic Safety Administration criteria.
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