Rav4 Prime fails Moose Test

Yeah, I saw the video today. So how do the other cars perform this test? Are all SUVs/Crossovers performs poorly on this test? I have never encountered a moose myself, but have had a near miss black bear.

 

Didn't look as bad as that one Cherokee, but yeah that's lousy handling.

 

I read somewhere that Toyota has said they will fix and retest. Can't believe they don't before production as part of their prototyping.

 

We had a similar test conducted by a Motoring Magazine back when the TOYOTA Kluger (HIGHLANDER I think you call it) was released (2008 ish)- it ended up lying on it's side.

 

The Other Side of Toyota RAV Prime's “Moose Test Failure” | Torque News

 

I had the understanding that deer are commonly short enough to usually stay on the grill, especially still the SUV era arrived and pushed vehicle noses higher. But moose are tall enough to slide over the hood and hit the windshield. And with more mass to enable them to go through the windshield.

 

From the article "The moose test does not actually put a large animal on the course for the car to see. It is just cones. So, it is invalid. If there is actually a moose, elk, reindeer, or similar animal standing in your lane, the car will be braking before you react. That changes a lot. If your plan was to steer before shifting the full weight of the vehicle to the left front contact patch (driver’s front wheel), that is now out the window. The car’s weight is already shifting to the two front wheels before you will take any action. All modern cars have these systems. In Consumer Reports surveys, 54% of respondents say that such systems have intervened to help them."

This relates to a question I asked shortly after I bought my Gen 4:

Does Pedestrian Detection Detect Deer in Front of the Car? | PriusChat

The answer at the time was: "TSS-P is not designed to detect animals.", apparently because the system recognizes shapes rather than masses of flesh.

So, is the author of the article incorrect in his statement that "the car will be braking" or have these systems now been improved to the point that they will recognize animals?

 

Yes - we don't have Mooses here - so the test I reported above for the Highlander (#7) would have used cones too. In that case, it was a shootout of all new cars that year for "CAR OF THE YEAR" - which it lost!!! (From what I can see, the Honda Accord EURO won that year.)

 

When did Toyota fix the non-Prime RAV4 for the Moose test?

Some of us with new non-Prime RAV4's (hybrids) have a few annoying issues.
There is a fuel tank not-filling-up issue, with a very recent fix of a new gas tank/sender unit if you qualify.
And the 2020's have 12V battery discharge (after sitting a few days) for no known reason problem...there is a fix but unclear if it is total fix. During the COVID lock-down highlighted a number of (2020) RAV4's had that issue.

I do feel like maybe Toyota USA is slipping a bit.

I guess Moose are the only varmint we do not have in Virginia, as yet.

 

This. I've witness the results of a horse into a small pickup (remember when they were actually small?) and it happened exactly like that killing the driver and the horse. A deer, even our prized south Texas white tail bucks, just don't have the mass to do major damage but even a minor strike will ruin your day.

 

OK... this moose myth was busted, so an evasive maneuver maybe necessary.

If you are going to hit a moose with a vehicle, it is safer to hit it at a higher speed than to try to slow down.
busted

The Build Team ran identical cars into a fake rubber moose at two different speeds. The damage from the high speed impact was located higher up on the vehicle and was more severe. It was speculated that hitting a moose at a high speed would only work with a very low car such as an F1 race car. Such a car would be able to take out the legs and clear the area before the moose fell on top of it.​

 

A friend was cruising along at 60 and swerved to avoid a deer. Hit the deer and rolled down an embankment an estimated 3 times. Husband and two kids, the 12 year old in the back seat slipping the younger daughter out of the harness and dragging her out the back of the crushed minivan. Husband serious arm and hand injuries.

Now tell me a crash involving a deer isn't dangerous. Mini-Van by the way. I've seen sports cars and sedans wher deer pieces penetrated the cockpit.

And in AU they have Roos.

Swerve-ability matters.

 

In that case, it was likely the swerve that caused the most damage. I've seen reports here of swerves that successfully avoided and saved the deer, but the accompanying rollover was fatal to some occupants.

Many modern vehicles here are high enough that many deer strikes take out just the grill area, not the windshield. But lower vehicles, which included most sedans prior to the SUV/Pickup Era, are more likely to have deer make it to the windshield.