Toyota Sienna and Acura TLX honoured
The 2021 Toyota Sienna was one of two vehicles to receive the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) awards, the nonprofit's highest safety honour. The only other vehicle to collect that award for 2020 was the 2021 Acura TLX.
The Sienna minivan stepped up its game and upgraded the “acceptable” rating from last year in the driver-side small overlap test, and the “marginal” rating in the passenger-side test to “good” in both categories. The Acura TLX also improved its crash ratings from “acceptable” to “good” in multiple tests.
The IIHS has a comprehensive checklist for vehicles to earn its TSP+ awards. It's given solely to vehicles that receive “good” ratings in both the aforementioned tests, plus the head restraint, roof strength, and moderate overlap front and side tests. Vehicles must also receive an “advanced” or “superior” rating in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention, and earn “acceptable” or “good” ratings for headlights across all trims.
One step down from the TSP+ honour is the Top Safety Pick (TSP), which is awarded to vehicles that have all of the same qualifications of the TSP+ except only “good” or “acceptable” headlights on at least one trim but not all.
Audi's mid-size cars, the 2021 A4 and A5, both received TSP awards thanks to the respective “good” and “acceptable” headlights on the Prestige and Premium Plus trims.