älgtest

Calque of German Elchtest, coined by the German press in 1997 after a Mercedes-Benz had overturned at 60 km/h (less than 40 mph) during the Swedish standard test simulating an evasive maneuver. The obstacle was then identified as an elk as a Swedish stereotype, typically of tabloid humour. The original Swedish name, used for decades but now all but displaced, was undanmanöverprov.

älgtest n

1. moose test (see also Wikipedia): test of the maximum speed at which a vehicle can still steer clear of obstacles (such as moose walking across the road)
2. (dated) moose test: test which takes a product into a very harsh situation, which was not predicted by the constructors, and which turns out to identify one or more severe problems with the product

• undanmanöverprov
• väjningsprov

• älgtest in Svensk ordbok.
• (Swedish)