Bigger isn't always better when it comes to crashing into a stationary object, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The agency tested three popular body-on-frame SUV models and concluded that some of these behemoths fail to protect second-row occupants.

"The huge mass of these large SUVs provides some additional protection in crashes with smaller vehicles, though that also means they present more danger to other road users. The flip side of their large size is that there is a lot more force to manage when they crash into a fixed obstacle, like a tree or bridge abutment or the barrier we use in our front crash tests," explained IIHS president David Harkey.

Crash-test dummies were put into three models: the Chevrolet Tahoe, the Ford Expedition, and the Jeep Wagoneer. The latter qualified for a coveted 2024 Top Safety Pick award, though it didn't get a Top Safety Pick+ award, and the first two didn't receive either distinction.

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Starting with the Wagoneer, the IIHS gave it the highest rating of Good in the small overlap - front and side-impact tests and the second-lowest rating of Marginal in the updated moderate overlap - front test. The headlights fitted to upmarket trim levels were rated as Good, while the ones that come standard on the more basic versions got the second-highest rating of Acceptable. The forward collision warning system, which can brake if it detects an impact with a pedestrian is imminent, received a Good rating as well, while the seat belt chime is Marginal.

The Tahoe received an Acceptable rating in the small overlap - front test, a Poor rating (the lowest that the IIHS gives out) in the moderate overlap - front test, and a Good rating in the side-impact test. Its headlights are rated as Poor, its forward collision warning system is Marginal, and its seat belt chime is Acceptable. The IIHS notes that "there was enough intrusion into the footwell that injury measures taken from the driver dummy showed a substantial risk of lower leg injuries." It adds that "performance was worse in the passenger-side test."