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A vehicle with good braking and emergency handling can help you avoid an accident. Typically smaller, sportier vehicles perform well in these tests and larger trucks are slower to maneuver.
Consumer Reports crucial emergency driving tests include an avoidance maneuver and a series of at-the-limit cornering assessments around a handling course-a snaking track loop. The avoidance maneuver is a "path-following test" in which the driver pilots the car down a lane marked off by traffic cones with a quick left-right-left sequence. That simulates swerving to avoid an obstacle in the road, then returning to the original lane to avoid oncoming traffic. The car threads through the course, without throttle or brakes, at ever-higher speeds until it can't get through without hitting any cones. When testing on-limit handling, drivers push the car to and beyond its limits of cornering capabilities to simulate entering a corner too quickly. Test engineers evaluate how controllable, secure, and forgiving-or not-the car is.
Our experts also perform a series of brake tests from 60 mph to zero on wet and dry pavement to measure performance. The test car is rigged with highly accurate GPS based data acquisition device that records precise speeds, stopping times, and distances. We also judge brake-pedal modulation, the "feel" of the pedal under foot during baking actions and how easy it is to slow the car smoothly.
Here are the highs and lows in our dry braking test (from 60 mph) and avoidance maneuver. In the braking test, highest scores go to the shortest stopping distance. In the avoidance maneuver, the higher the speed through the course, the better.
Learn more about how Consumer Reports tests cars.
| Best models | Distance, ft. |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 3LT |
107 |
| Porsche 911 Carrera S |
108 |
| Porsche 718 Boxster (base) |
108 |
| Chevrolet Camaro 2SS | 112 |
| BMW M235i | 115 |
| Maserati Ghibli S Q4 | 115 |
| Chevrolet SS | 118 |
| Ford Fiesta ST |
118 |
| Tesla Model S P85D | 118 |
| Dodge Challenger R/T |
119 |
| Worst models | Distance, ft. |
|---|---|
| Toyota Tundra SR5 |
153 |
| Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara | 157 |
| Best models | mph |
|---|---|
| Porsche 911 Carerra S | 59.5 |
| Porsche 718 Boxster (base) | 59.0 |
| Subaru Impreza WRX Premium |
59.0 |
| BMW M235i | 58.5 |
| Nissan 370Z Touring | 58.0 |
| Cadillac ATS Luxury | 57.5 |
| Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 3LT |
57.5 |
| Chevrolet Spark LT |
57.5 |
| Ford Fiesta ST | 57.0 |
| Infiniti QX30 Premium | 57.0 |
| Worst models | mph |
|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz GLS350d | 44.5 |
| Toyota Tundra SR5 | 44.5 |
| Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara | 45.0 |
| Cadillac Escalade Premium |
45.0 |
| Chevrolet Tahoe LT | 45.0 |
| Ford Expedition EL |
45.0 |
| Nissan Titan XD SV |
45.0 |
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