The Toyota Sienna has long been a popular minivan choice for families, and safety is a paramount concern for anyone considering a minivan. For the 2017 model year, the Toyota Sienna continues its tradition of prioritizing safety, evidenced by rigorous testing and design improvements. This article delves into the side impact crash test performance of the Toyota Sienna 2017, providing a detailed analysis based on industry-standard evaluations.
Understanding the IIHS Side Impact Test
The side impact crash test is a critical evaluation conducted by organizations like the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to assess how well a vehicle protects occupants in a side collision. This test simulates a collision where another vehicle or object impacts the side of the tested car. It’s designed to measure the effectiveness of a vehicle’s structure, airbags, and safety systems in minimizing injuries to the driver and passengers. The IIHS ratings range from “Good” (highest) to “Poor” (lowest), indicating the level of protection provided in such accidents.
Toyota Sienna 2017 Side Impact Performance: Achieving a “Good” Rating
The original article refers to tests conducted on Toyota Sienna models, specifically highlighting improvements made from the 2014 model year onwards. These improvements, notably in the side torso airbags, are directly applicable to the 2017 Toyota Sienna as it falls within the 2014-2020 model range covered by the updated safety features.
The results for the Toyota Sienna, as evaluated by the IIHS-referenced tests, demonstrate a “Good” overall rating in the side impact test. This is the highest possible rating, indicating that the Toyota Sienna 2017 provides strong protection for its occupants in a side impact collision.
This “Good” rating is underpinned by several key factors, which are broken down into specific evaluation criteria:
Key Evaluation Metrics and Ratings
To understand the “Good” rating, it’s crucial to look at the detailed evaluation criteria. The table below summarizes the ratings for different aspects of the side impact test for the Toyota Sienna:
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | G |
| Structure and safety cage | G |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G |
| Torso | G |
| Pelvis/leg | G |
| Driver head protection | G |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G |
| Torso | G |
| Pelvis/leg | G |
| Rear passenger head protection | G |
Alt text: Toyota Sienna 2017 IIHS Side Impact Crash Test Rating Breakdown – Illustrating ‘Good’ ratings across Structure, Driver and Rear Passenger Injury Measures including Head/Neck, Torso, Pelvis/Leg, and Head Protection.
Structure and Safety Cage: A “Good” rating for structure and safety cage is fundamental. It means the Sienna’s structural design effectively resists intrusion into the occupant compartment during a side impact, maintaining survival space for passengers.
Driver and Rear Passenger Injury Measures: The evaluation assesses injury risk to different body regions. For both the driver and rear passenger, the Sienna achieved “Good” ratings across:
- Head/Neck: Indicating a low risk of injury to the head and neck.
- Torso: Showing effective protection of the chest and abdomen.
- Pelvis/Leg: Demonstrating good protection for the pelvis and legs.
- Head Protection: Confirming effective head protection from contact with hard structures or outside objects.
Technical Measurements: Intrusion and Injury Data
Beyond the overall ratings, technical measurements provide deeper insights into the Sienna’s performance. These measurements quantify the extent of intrusion into the occupant compartment and the forces experienced by crash test dummies representing occupants.
Occupant Compartment Intrusion: The measurements for B-pillar intrusion on the driver’s side are provided in centimeters (cm). Negative numbers indicate the crush stopped short of the driver’s seat centerline, which is desirable. The data shows consistent performance in limiting intrusion in both tests referenced (VTS0909 and VTS1235).
Driver and Passenger Injury Measures (Detailed):
The tables in the original article detail specific measurements for head injury criterion (HIC), neck forces, shoulder deflection and forces, torso deflection, pelvis forces, and femur forces for both driver and passenger. These technical measurements are compared against established thresholds to determine the “Good” ratings. For instance, lower HIC scores indicate better head protection, and lower forces on body regions suggest reduced injury risk.
While the detailed numerical data is available, the key takeaway for consumers is that these measurements translate to “Good” ratings across all critical injury measures for both driver and rear passengers in the Toyota Sienna 2017 side impact test.
Conclusion: Toyota Sienna 2017 – A Safe Minivan Choice
The Toyota Sienna 2017’s “Good” rating in the side impact crash test reaffirms its commitment to safety. This top rating, driven by a robust structure and effective occupant protection systems, provides peace of mind for families prioritizing safety in a minivan. Prospective buyers can be confident that the Toyota Sienna 2017 is designed to offer a high level of protection in the event of a side impact collision. For detailed technical specifications and further safety information, refer to official reports from the IIHS and Toyota.
