In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Ascent are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The XC90 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
Both the Ascent and the XC90 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Ascent is safer than the Volvo XC90:
|
Ascent |
XC90 |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
21% |
27% |
Neck Stress |
229 lbs. |
252 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
8 lbs. |
18 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
159/292 lbs. |
567/631 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
210 |
217 |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
35/30 lbs. |
383/334 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Ascent is safer than the Volvo XC90:
|
Ascent |
XC90 |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
37 |
51 |
Chest Movement |
.5 inches |
.7 inches |
Abdominal Force |
73 lbs. |
153 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
81 |
94 |
Spine Acceleration |
27 G’s |
40 G’s |
Hip Force |
346 lbs. |
608 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
149 |
209 |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Subaru Ascent is safer than the XC90:
|
Ascent |
XC90 |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
82 |
123 |
Neck Tension |
178 lbs. |
245 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
.83 in |
.91 in |
Shoulder Force |
201 lbs. |
245 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
.98 in |
1.42 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
6 MPH |
7 MPH |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
1.26 in |
1.38 in |
Torso Max Deflection |
1.18 in |
1.42 in |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Pelvis Force |
201 lbs. |
915 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Ascent its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 134 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The XC90 is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.