Minivans, while not as popular as they once were, are usually used as family haulers, and safety is paramount on the list of things buyers expect from one. Most are pretty safe, ranking somewhere above average for vehicles of their era. A few fall short. A few, however, have delivered on that safety promise perfectly, offered safety that is truly state-of-the-art and became among the safest vehicles ever made at the time they were made. Here are three examples.
1) 1995 Ford Windstar. Take a look at this November 1996 IIHS crash test comparison of nine minivans. The crash was 40 mph, 40% frontal driver side offset. Four got marginal ratings, and four more got poor ratings. The Windstar stood atop the pack, and by a large margin, with a Good rating with no blemishes - and remember, this is two-and-a-half years after it came out in March 1994. In those two-and-a-half years, one of those nine vans had been introduced. Three, including the Chrysler Corporation market-leader vans, had been redesigned. Two more had a passenger airbag added. Yet none of them could compete with the Windstar on safety. Every other 1997 minivan had major problems in the IIHS offset crash test; in the Chrysler minivans, you would have broken your legs, and it was the second-best performer (albeit a distant second). The Windstar also did well in NHTSA tests, earning the full 5 stars for both sides. No other competitor to the Windstar could manage more than 4 stars for any occupant (with the exception of the 1994-1996 GM "Dustbuster" minivans, which got 5 stars for the driver... and 3 for the passenger)
In fact, a minivan to knock the Windstar off its post as "safest minivan ever" wouldn't arrive for 3-and-a-half years after its introduction, in the form of the...
2) 1998 Toyota Sienna. "Best performer ever". That's what IIHS said about the Sienna when they performed their offset crash test on it in 1998. Out of over 50 vehicles tested to that point, it was the best they'd seen. Add to that good results in NHTSA crash tests and you had a minivan that truly was one of the safest vehicles ever made at that time. On the eve of its retirement in 2003, this generation of Sienna was one of only two (out of eight total) minivans to receive a Good rating in that test (and the only one to perfect it). Add in Toyota's bulletproof reliability, quality, and the van's useful design and it's easy to see why this was the van that launched Toyota to leadership in the minivan market. Toyota would continue to offer one of the safest minivans on the market with its 2004 redesign, but it was upstaged by the...
3) 2005 Honda Odyssey. When this van came out for the 2005 model year, it leaped to the head of the class on safety. It was one of only two (out of 10) 2005-model minivans to get a perfect, demerit-free Good in the IIHS offset, but the Odyssey's safety story doesn't end there. It was the first minivan with rollover-activated side curtain airbags, and they were standard. Only the Nissan Quest had standard side curtain airbags at the time, and they weren't roll-sensing. About half of minivans didn't even offer side curtain airbags. Stability control, standard once again - a few other minivans made it an option. Add to that a good IIHS side impact rating and full five-star ratings front and side from NHTSA tests and you have your safety leader for 2005.
3) 2005 Honda Odyssey. When this van came out for the 2005 model year, it leaped to the head of the class on safety. It was one of only two (out of 10) 2005-model minivans to get a perfect, demerit-free Good in the IIHS offset, but the Odyssey's safety story doesn't end there. It was the first minivan with rollover-activated side curtain airbags, and they were standard. Only the Nissan Quest had standard side curtain airbags at the time, and they weren't roll-sensing. About half of minivans didn't even offer side curtain airbags. Stability control, standard once again - a few other minivans made it an option. Add to that a good IIHS side impact rating and full five-star ratings front and side from NHTSA tests and you have your safety leader for 2005.
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