Another vehicle has earned a Top Safety Pick+ recognition from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and this time, it recorded a segment-first achievement.
The crew cab variant of the 2020 Ram 1500 was awarded the Top Safety Pick+ rating after registering exceptional scores in all crashworthiness tests conducted by the agency.
The model dethrones the erstwhile leader of the large pickup truck segment–the 2019 Honda Ridgeline. The Ridgelines previously earned a Top Safety Pick rating (without the +) because of its “Acceptable” score in the small-overlap front passenger-side crash results. The “+” award requires at least a “Good” rating in the said department.
The extended cab and crew cab models of the current-generation Ram 1500 both earned “Good” scores in other crash categories tested for by the IIHS such as the small-overlap front driver and passenger side, moderate overlap front, side-impact, and roof crush. However, the IIHS also requires a “Good” rating for the headlamps where both variants only scored “Marginal” and “Poor.”
The new adaptive LED projector headlamps that comes with high-beam assist, which Ram introduced in May this year, was the game-changer for the truck. The lamps earned a “Good’ rating this time around, bagging the Top Safety Pick+ recognition for the upcoming model.
Based on existing IIHS rules, a TSP+ rating is given to vehicles that meet all other aforementioned requirements and score “Advanced” or “Superior” marks for front crash prevention equipment. But soon, the institute is reportedly implementing a stricter grading system to allow only superior vehicles to earn the TSP+ recognition.
For the Ram 1500, though, this is not a problem as it already merits a superior rating for its full suite of collision prevention technologies. This includes the optional Forward Collision Mitigation feature, which offers a sensor-fusion technology combining the camera’s capability with radar detection to predict a possible impact.
Among the model’s biggest rivals on the market, Ford’s F-150 and Nissan’s Titan crew cabs managed to score “Good” ratings in all crash tests but earned “Poor” and “Marginal” ratings for their headlamps, respectively. The 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and 2019 GMC Sierra crew cab trucks have “Marginal” scores in the small-overlap passenger-side crash results and “Poor” marks in headlamp performance while the Toyota Tundra has below average rating in all small-overlap crashes and headlamp performance.
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