The 2021 Ascent SUV was named a 2020 TOP SAFETY PICK+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) with the addition of Steering Responsive LED headlights with High Beam Assist as standard equipment.
Vehicles must earn good ratings in each of the institute’s six crashworthiness criteria: Driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, plus an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention (for both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian) and a good or acceptable headlight rating must come standard across all trim levels to qualify for a 2020 TOP SAFETY PICK+.
Ascent comes standard with Subaru EyeSight Driver Assist Technology. It has been found to lessen the rate of rear-end crashes with injuries by up to 85% based on IIHS reporting data as of January 2017 from MY2013-2015 Subaru models equipped with EyeSight through 2014.
For the first time IIHS included the pedestrian crash prevention ratings into its TOP SAFETY PICK and TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards, according to PR Newswire.
"Subaru supports IIHS efforts that spur the industry to achieve higher levels of vehicle safety and occupant protection," Thomas J. Doll, President and CEO, Subaru of America, Inc., said. "We view the IIHS awards as validation for our efforts to continually innovate safety features for our customers."
The 2021 Ascent is one of the nine Subaru models receiving an IIHS award this year.
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