CARS.COM — For their respective 2016 and 2017 redesigns, the Chevrolet Cruze and GMC Acadia lost weight, size or both. Unfortunately, they also lost some crashworthiness in the process, according to the National Highway Traffic Administration.
Related: 2017 GMC Acadia Review
In NHTSA’s latest round of crash tests for its Five-Star Safety Rating program, both the 2017 Cruze and Acadia received only a four-star overall rating for some or all evaluated models. The Cruze, which shed about 250 pounds in its redesign, repeated its 2016 performance, while its previously unrated hatchback version also received only four stars overall. The Acadia, which lost 700 pounds and shrunk a size, lost one star in its overall rating for the SUV’s regular front-wheel-drive version as well as for the front-drive Denali trim.
For the 2017 and 2016 evaluations, both tested versions of the Cruze received five stars for performance in frontal crashes, and four stars for both side and rollover crashes, for an overall four-star rating. That’s compared with its pre-redesign performance that earned the sedan version five stars overall, with perfect scores for frontal and side crashes, and four stars in rollovers.
The Acadia also received five stars overall in its previous incarnation, with perfect scores for frontal and side crashes, and four stars for rollovers for all tested models. A five-star score was achieved for 2017 models by both the front- and all-wheel-drive versions of the Acadia’s Limited trim, as well as for the all-wheel-drive versions of the regular and Denali models. However, the front-wheel-drive versions of the regular and Denali models received only four stars overall, though both also earned five stars in frontal and side crashes, and four stars in rollovers.
For comparison, neither the previous nor current Cruze — including the Limited — have received a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick Plus award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The 2017 Acadia, however, did earn a Top Safety Pick honor from IIHS, falling short of the standards for a Plus designation in only the new-for-2017 headlights category. That was an improvement over the 2016 version, which did fall short of a Top Safety Pick award. The 2017 Acadia’s Limited version also fell short of an IIHS honor; the 2016 Acadia Limited was not rated separately.
When asked to explain the score discrepancy among trim levels, neither NHTSA nor GM immediately responded to our requests for comment.
