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The Importance of a Moose Test and Why New Cars are Still Failing at It

moose test

Back in the day when fuel consumption didn’t matter, and no one cared what came out the tailpipe, all car manufacturers cared for was making a more attractive car. As automotive technology matured, safety started rising on that list of priorities, only to become one of the main concerns when designing new vehicles today. There are many tests that a car needs to pass before it’s cleared to take part in traffic. In some places, the ‘moose test’ is one of them.

The origin story behind this test is quite interesting. What’s even more impressive is the fact that the moose test was first invented back in the ‘70s. Yet many car manufacturers keep failing to pass it. Let’s find out why.

The Importance of a Moose Test and Why New Cars are Still Failing at It

What is the Moose Test?

Just like any other automotive safety test, the moose test was born out of necessity. Back in the ‘70s, the world of automotive safety was a crude one. Almost every manufacturer in the world cared about selling more cars than how safe they were.

Sweden was one of the few places where car manufacturers looked beyond sales reports. Volvo and SAAB were both considered well ahead of the competition when it came to safety features. After all, these brands are the only reason why we have 3-point seat belts and airbags.

Being a Nordic country with plenty of wooded areas and diverse wildlife, Sweden is also one of the places that first understood the significance of avoiding sudden obstacles on the road.

More specifically, the Swedes were all too familiar with the destructive power of a moose who chose the wrong moment to cross the road. Because of that, Teknikens Värld, an independent organization, came up with a way to put cars through a trial that would prove their ability to avoid a moose. The test they’ve devised was incredibly simple. The vehicle had to get up to speed, break left to prevent the ‘moose,’ and then turn left to get back into its lane.

Two SAAB 9-5's in offset crash testing

Setting up the Test

The test was done under controlled conditions of Teknikens staff, on a dry patch of road. Instead of a live moose, the testers would use a set of cones to mark the obstacle and a set of cones on the other side of the road. Such a pattern of cones would force the test vehicle to do a sudden S maneuver.

Passing the test meant navigating the course without moving any of the cones. Sounds simple, right? You’d be surprised how many car manufacturers still build cars that fail such a test.

The Mercedes Incident

Speaking of failed moose tests, Mercedes-Benz was one of the first brands to make the news worldwide for failing. Were they the first brand to fail the test? Not really. But the incident involving a 1997 Mercedes A-Class test vehicle showed just how vital the moose test was and how modern cars aren’t necessarily safer.

Not only did the A-class fail the test, but Teknikens staff managed to flip it over in the process. Such poor performance had sent Mercedes-Benz on a soul-searching mission that resulted in vehicle recall and suspension overhaul on affected models.

 The Mercedes Incident A dazed driver escapes death in an animal strike.

SAAB Domination

Ever since the test was first implemented, SAAB stood out as one of the top brands scoring high. What makes this piece of trivia even more interesting is that SAAB went a step further with the testing.

Avoiding the moose is always the optimal choice. Most of us have seen what happens when a car hits a deer, now imagine that type of damage only several times more devastating. Moose are massive animals capable of severely damaging both the car and its occupants merely because of their size and weight. Engineers over at SAAB understood this very well, which is why they simulated moose impact as well.

Their goal was to make cars that would give the passengers a chance of survival if a moose decided to step out on the road. Some attribute the jet fighter windshield design of older SAABs to the list of reasons why this brand was so successful at dealing with moose hits.

The way the A-pillars are angled to support such a windshield design made them sturdier. Of course, SAAB went ahead and reinforced the joints even more, just in case, which also helped.

In fact, Swedish automakers still use the Teknikens test for moose hits even in 2020. Only today, they’re using high tech moose models that allow for much more realistic damage patterns.

The C900 integrated reinforced roll structure. SAAB Domination

Failing a Moose Test in 2020

Despite being a part of automotive safety testing for over five decades, brands such as Toyota have trouble passing the Teknikens moose test. That being said, Toyota was one of the brands that took the failing results to heart and appropriately revised their vehicles.

Unlike Mercedes, Toyota had managed to solve its suspension issues with a mere software update last year, which was both fast and cheap to do. The fact that vehicles are failing this test in 2020 shows just how much room there is for improvement.

You can easily replace a moose with a human, and you’d still need to perform the same maneuver. Building cars capable of performing evasive maneuvers in a pinch is something we should have mastered by now. Yet, here we are.

Failing a Moose Test in 2020 A modern 9-3 receiving SAAB's 'moose test'.

Moose Test High Scores

One interesting but lesser-known fact about the moose test is that there’s a high scoreboard of sorts. Once the car passes the test, it is pushed to higher and higher speeds to find the point where it either spins out, lifts off, or moves the cones.

As of right now, there are a few Porsches and other high-performance cars among the top-scoring models. Hundreds of cars are tested each year, which continually changes the leaderboard.

Moose Test High Scores

Why Do Some Cars Fail the Test?

The moose test is essentially a measure of a specific car’s suspension and its center of gravity. Some vehicles are inherently more likely to pass the Teknikens test while others, such as SUVs and pickup trucks, have the odds stacked against them.

However, the fact that a car has passed the moose test doesn’t mean it always will. One of the most important factors in this test, and one that is often overlooked, are the tires. Having a good set of tires is crucial if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to miss an oversized deer sitting in the middle of the road.

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4 thoughts on “The Importance of a Moose Test and Why New Cars are Still Failing at It

  1. Some 25 years ago, my wife reversed our Saab 900 into a Nissan Laurel. When she got out of the car to check the damage, the Nissan had a split front bumper but she could not find any sign of damage to our Saab rear bumper. When she came home and told me about it, I checked out the Saab and I had to ask my wife if she was sure she hit another car. I could not find a scratch. This Saab is still our pride and joy. It is the only one I see in good running condition.

  2. I have seen C-900’s crushed before, and they Do crush in a modern hydraulic crusher, no problem, however when you see it, you know, they are harder then most cars. Case and point? The car before was an early 90’s Taurus. “5 star safety rated” – the crush went perfectly, no throttle up on the diesel engine. The 88 900-base 4 door after that? The crush started, the crush slowed, throttle increased, about 3 seconds later, the structure collapsed, and the car was flattened. It likely took a very significant amount MORE force than the Taurus did to plop down.

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