The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Taos doesn’t offer knee airbags.
The Outlander Sport has standard Active Front Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Front Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Taos doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
Both the Outlander Sport and the Taos have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, 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, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is safer than the Volkswagen Taos:
|
Outlander Sport |
Taos |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
208 |
285 |
Neck Injury Risk |
29% |
32% |
Neck Stress |
412 lbs. |
413 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
Chest Compression |
.6 inches |
.7 inches |
Neck Injury Risk |
43% |
45% |
Neck Compression |
91 lbs. |
207 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
394/494 lbs. |
643/432 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 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is safer than the Volkswagen Taos:
|
Outlander Sport |
Taos |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Chest Movement |
.4 inches |
.6 inches |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
349 |
393 |
Spine Acceleration |
47 G’s |
69 G’s |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Spine Acceleration |
41 G’s |
46 G’s |
Hip Force |
807 lbs. |
939 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the general design of front seat head restraints for their ability to protect front seat occupants from whiplash injuries. The IIHS also performs a dynamic test on those seats with “good” or “acceptable” geometry. In these ratings, the Outlander Sport with standard seats is safer than the Taos:
|
Outlander Sport |
Taos |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Head Restraint Design |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Distance from Back of Head |
36 mm |
38 mm |
Dynamic Test Rating |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Seat Design |
Pass |
Fail |
Torso Acceleration |
10.3 g’s |
13.3 g’s |
Neck Force Rating |
Low |
Low |
(Lower numerical results are better in all tests.)
For its top level performance in the IIHS moderate overlap frontal impact, side impact, rear impact, roof-crush crash tests, an “Acceptable” rating in the newer small overlap frontal crash test, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Outlander Sport its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2015, a rating granted to only 207 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Taos is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2015.