Full-size 4-door pickups were the subject of the latest round of crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the 2016 Ford F-150 came away the clear leader. The F-150 SuperCab (and its previously-evaluated SuperCrew sibling) earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick rating when equipped with Ford’s optional forward collision warning system. The organization also put extended cab and crew cab versions of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Ram 1500 and Toyota Tundra through the same regimen, but all fell short of TSP status primarily as the result of “Poor” scores in the organization’s demanding small-offset front impact test. While the Silverado, Sierra and Tundra Double Cabs earned Acceptable ratings in the Overall and Structure areas their Crew Cab/CrewMax models received only Marginal marks. The Ram 1500 Crew Cab and Quad Cab each got a Marginal Overall grade and a Poor rating for Structure.
Also: Class of 2016 — New Cars Ready to Roll
The Top Safety Pick rating for the 2016 SuperCab came as the result of Ford having made modest but meaningful structural changes that helped this F-150 variant raise its rating from Marginal to Good in the small front overlap impact test. The 2015 SuperCab had already earned Good scores in the four other critical categories (moderate overlap front, side impact, roof strength and head restraint). To snare the IIHS’ top TSP+ status, a vehicle must do all that and offer front-crash prevention that is rated as advanced or superior by the organization. Ford’s current system only carries a basic rating.
Also: Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards of 2016
The performance of the revised F-150 won praise from Raul Arbelaez, vice president of the Institute’s Vehicle Research Center who noted: "Ford is leading the way among large pickup manufacturers when it comes to protecting people in a range of crashes and offering technology to warn drivers of imminent frontal crashes. We commend Ford for taking last year’s test results to heart and upgrading protection for SuperCab occupants in small overlap crashes." Earlier, the 2016 F-150 became the only full-size, light-duty truck to earn similar kudos from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration when it rolled off with NHTSA’s 5-star Overall Vehicle Score and 5-star driver/passenger ratings in all crash-test modes and for all three cab configurations – Regular, SuperCab and SuperCrew.
More Pickup Trucks…
Check out our Pickup Truck Buyer’s Guide for a look at what’s new and what’s next.
