2009 Hyundai Genesis Awarded Top Safety Pick

More bad news for Aussies eager to get their hands on Hyundai’s new luxury market entry, as the Hyundai Genesis sedan adds one more award to its pool room trophy shelf.

The ‘Tau’ V8 - one of the Genesis’ two engine options - has previously been voted one of the top 10 engines in 2009, while the car itself has was titled North American’s Car of the Year.

Now, The US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the Hyundai Genesis the Top Safety Pick title, with the car earning a “good” overall evaluation in side impact, front offset and rear crash tests – the highest ranking awarded by the Institute.

The IIHS says criteria for a win in this class are tough because the award is designed to always push continued safety improvements, with the expectations increasing year to year.

“Recognising vehicles at the head of the class for safety helps consumers distinguish the best overall choices without having to sort through multiple test results,” says Institute president Adrian Lund.

The Hyundai Genesis’ standard features include ESP Stability Control, Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), eight airbags and electronic active head restraints, to counteract whiplash.

According to the IIHS, 51 percent of driver deaths in recent model cars in the US occurred in side impacts, so the Institute’s side impact test is severe.

In the 40mph (65km/h) offset test, 40 percent of the total width of the vehicle strikes a barrier on the driver’s side, mirroring the forces involved in a frontal offset crash between two vehicles.

The Hyundai Genesis scored “good” in both these tests.  The reports indicated that in the case of the side impact test, both driver’s and passengers’ head and neck are protected against “being hit by any hard structures.”

The reports of the 40mph offset test noted that, “Measures taken from the dummy indicate a low risk of any significant injuries in a crash of this severity.”

While two left-hand-drive (US market) Hyundai Genesis models were displayed at the 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show, there are no plans as yet to offer a right-hand-drive model on the Australian market.