See the 2012 Acura TL in super slow motion as it strikes a test barrier at 40 mph.

A new stricter crash test from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety(IIHS) has recently handed out low marks to many of today’s popular midsize luxury sedans. Out of 11 cars tested, the 2012 Acura TL along with the Volvo S60 were the only two to receive the top rating of “good”.

Just how tough was this test? Although the Acura TSX received a “marginal” rating with three other vehicles, there were only three models with a higher ranking of “good” or “acceptable”. The remaining five cars tested were grouped with the lowest rating of “poor”.

“In the test, 25 percent of a car’s front end on the driver side strikes a 5-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph. A 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy is belted in the driver seat. The test is designed to replicate what happens when the front corner of a car collides with another vehicle or an object like a tree or utility pole. Outside of some automakers’ proving grounds, such a test isn’t currently conducted anywhere else in the United States or Europe.”

See the crash test videos from the IIHS below.

[Source: IIHS via YouTube]