test is relatively new; it has
also been conducted with cars
and SUVs.
The Tundra was the only
truck to receive the lowest rat-
ing of Poor in that crash test. As
a result, it lost points from its
Overall Score and fell below the
threshold to be recommended,
leaving the Ford F-150 as the
only CR-recommended truck in
the full-sized category.Q. My credit score isn’t great.
How should I shop for a car loan?
Start with credit unions, banks,
and online lenders before you hit
a dealership. Get preapproved
from the institution with the
lowest rate, then see whether the
dealer can beat it.
Shopping around for loans
doesn’t hurt your credit,
according to CR autos analyst
Mel Yu. “As long as you con-
fine your search to about two
weeks, most major credit agen-
cies will count it as a single
inquiry,” he says.
Just don’t fall into the trap
of extending the life of aThere’s a really good reason
for lower speed limits, espe-
cially where pedestrians
are present. “Just a few miles
per hour can be the difference
between life and death for
someone outside the car,
especially when the collision
involves a pickup or SUV,”
says Jennifer Stockburger,
director of operations at CR’s
auto test center.
The risk of severe injury to
a pedestrian in a collision with
a motor vehicle is 25 percent
when the vehicle is traveling
23 mph, according to a study by
the AAA Foundation for Traffic
Safety. At 31 mph, the risk of
injury increases to 50 percent.
At 42 mph, a pedestrian’s risk
of death is 50 percent, and a
serious injury is almost certain.Q. I was in the market for a
Toyota Tundra, which you
previously recommended. But
I noticed that it recently lost its
recommendation. Why?
At CR, we constantly evaluate
the cars we’ve tested. Among
other factors, we include
the results of crash tests from
the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety (IIHS) and
the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration in
the Overall Score for each
vehicle we rate.
Earlier this year, the IIHS
put several pickups through its
passenger-side small-overlap
front crash test, which simu-
lates when the front corner of
a vehicle hits another car or a
stationary object such as a pole,
tree, or barrier at 40 mph. Theloan to keep your monthly
payments lower. A 72- or
84-month loan will increase
the amount of interest you
wind up paying. You may end
up “underwater”—owing more
on your car than it’s worth—
for an extended period. That’s
why we don’t recommend loans
over 60 months. If the pay-
ment is still too high, consider
a less expensive used vehicle.Ask Our Experts
We answer questions about speed limits,
truck ratings, and credit scores.Q. My city recently lowered its
speed limits. Is this just an attempt
to collect more speeding fines?
The risk of death to
a pedestrian stuck by a car
traveling 42 mph.
SOURCE: AAA.50
%
CR.ORG/CARS NEW CARS 3PH
OT
O:^
IM
AG
E^ B
RO
KE
R/
ME
DI
A^ B
AK
ER
Y