Only 1 Acura Makes Car and Driver’s Safest Cars of 2022 List
When you think of Acura, you likely think of stylish performance and upscale personality. The Acura brand has always been synonymous with prowess on the pavement. And while most of the cars in the Acura portfolio are up-to-date with some of the latest driver assistance features, it appears they’re not all the safest cars on the road.
Car and Driver rates the safest cars of 2022 in this recent list of IIHS top performers. And it might surprise Acura fans to see that only one Acura model made the list. See which model in the Acura lineup also made this safety list.
Safety features continue to be innovative
In recent years, the automotive industry has surged ahead in safety innovations. Some of the initiatives are driven by legislative measures. But many are also introduced as a method for competitive advantage and improved occupancy safety. We’re long past the days of just seatbelts and airbags.
There is sensor technology, for example, that allows for a series of driver alerts on the road, including other vehicles and pedestrians. Visibility also improves with the development of sensor and camera technology that allows drivers to see 360 degrees around the vehicle.
And many automakers build entire suites of driver assistance features, making them standard on almost all their vehicles. Toyota Safety Sense 2.5, for example, is a robust menu of driver aids engineered into many of today’s models. Subaru’s Eyesight technology does much of the same and includes other features like automatic braking and more.
But what about Acura? Are Acura models up to par in safety?
The lone Acura model on this list of safest cars
Car and Driver itemized some of the more than 50 different vehicles in a “safest new cars for 2022” list, highlighting those models that already earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award for 2022. And while there are some familiar badges on this list, including Volvo, Honda, Subaru, and Toyota, there’s only one Acura model.
The 2022 Acura TLX is the only model for this automaker that earned a “good” or “superior” rating in nearly every IIHS measurable benchmark. The TLX comes with a suite of driver aids that includes auto emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alerts, and forward-collision warnings.
The TLX also earned points for LED low and high-beam projector headlights. It also performed well in a barrage of crash test evaluations. And in the end, it earned the coveted IIHS endorsement as a Top Safety Pick Plus+ award winner.
In comparison to the 2023 model TLX
While the 2022 Acura TLX earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, you might be wondering how the 2023 model TLX does in crash testing, too. And according to the IIHS evaluations, the TLX still earns green “good” ratings across nearly every category. It’s another slam dunk for the TLX in safety.
When it comes to crashworthiness, crash avoidance and mitigation, seat belt, and child restraint effectiveness, the TLX earns high marks, according to the IIHS. So if you’re in the market for the safest vehicle, and you like Acura, the TLX is a great consideration in both 2022 and 2023 model forms.
Unfortunately, you won’t find the Acura ILX, the NSX, or the Integra on this particular list. And it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not safe. It just means there were certain aspects of the testing that maybe only earned satisfactory ratings.
But you will find the 2022 Acura TLX on this roster of safe 2022 models. And it proves to have all the stylish performance you love, along with the safety endorsements it needs to be a great vehicle.
