"Insurance group names safest cars for '07"
11-21-2006, 06:34 AM
#1
Suzuka Master
Thread Starter
"Insurance group names safest cars for '07"
No U.S. brands make the cut this year. Stability control a must-have to win.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced winners of its Top Safety Pick Awards Tuesday. The awards are based on crash tests conducted by the Institute.
The criteria for an award are more stringent than last year. Previously, there were two levels of Top Safety Pick Awards, Gold and Silver. This year, there is only one and it is even more stringent than last year's Gold Top Safety Pick Award.
To earn a 2007 Top Safety Pick award, a vehicle must earn the best possible rating of "Good" in front and side impact safety as well as in whiplash protection for rear impacts. Previously, a vehicle could earn a Silver Top Safety Pick Award with only an "Acceptable" rating, the second-best possible, for rear impact protection.
Also, vehicles must be available with electronic stability control, at least as an option, to earn the award.
For that reason, five vehicles - the Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego, Subaru Impreza, Saab 9-2X and Honda Civic - that won the top award last year were dropped from the list this year.
Electronic stability control, or ESC, helps drivers maintain control during abrupt emergency maneuvers. According to crash statistics gathered by the Insurance Institute and the government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, ESC could prevent more than 10,000 deaths annually if it were installed on every vehicle in the U.S.
The closely-related Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego were the only vehicles from U.S. brands to make the list last year. Both Ford Motor Co. and General Motors are represented on this year's list by their respective Swedish subsidiaries, Volvo and Saab.
Japanese brands Honda and Subaru, a subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries, have the most vehicles on the list, with three each. Audi, the luxury division of Volkswagen, has two vehicles on the list and Mercedes-Benz, the luxury division of DaimlerChrysler, has one.
The Insurance Institute's front and side impact tests are different from those performed by the government.
For front impact safety, the Institute uses an "offset" test in which the vehicle strikes a barrier with just part of its front bumper, concentrating impact forces.
In its side impact test, the Institute strikes the vehicle with a moving barrier that is raised off the ground to mimic the impact of an SUV or truck.
Rear impact safety is calculated by, first, measuring various features of the seat and headrest. If those are judged to seem reasonably safe, the seat is then tested using an actual impact test.
2007 Top Safety Pick Awards
Large car
Audi A6 manufactured in Dec. 2006 and later
Midsize cars
Audi A4
Saab 9-3
Subaru Legacy equipped with optional electronic stability control
Minivans
Hyundai Entourage
Kia Sedona
Luxury SUVs
Mercedes M class
Volvo XC90
Midsize SUVs
Acura RDX
Honda Pilot
Subaru B9 Tribeca
Small SUVs
Honda CR-V
Subaru Forester equipped with optional electronic stability control
http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/11/20/...ars/index.html
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced winners of its Top Safety Pick Awards Tuesday. The awards are based on crash tests conducted by the Institute.
The criteria for an award are more stringent than last year. Previously, there were two levels of Top Safety Pick Awards, Gold and Silver. This year, there is only one and it is even more stringent than last year's Gold Top Safety Pick Award.
To earn a 2007 Top Safety Pick award, a vehicle must earn the best possible rating of "Good" in front and side impact safety as well as in whiplash protection for rear impacts. Previously, a vehicle could earn a Silver Top Safety Pick Award with only an "Acceptable" rating, the second-best possible, for rear impact protection.
Also, vehicles must be available with electronic stability control, at least as an option, to earn the award.
For that reason, five vehicles - the Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego, Subaru Impreza, Saab 9-2X and Honda Civic - that won the top award last year were dropped from the list this year.
Electronic stability control, or ESC, helps drivers maintain control during abrupt emergency maneuvers. According to crash statistics gathered by the Insurance Institute and the government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, ESC could prevent more than 10,000 deaths annually if it were installed on every vehicle in the U.S.
The closely-related Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego were the only vehicles from U.S. brands to make the list last year. Both Ford Motor Co. and General Motors are represented on this year's list by their respective Swedish subsidiaries, Volvo and Saab.
Japanese brands Honda and Subaru, a subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries, have the most vehicles on the list, with three each. Audi, the luxury division of Volkswagen, has two vehicles on the list and Mercedes-Benz, the luxury division of DaimlerChrysler, has one.
The Insurance Institute's front and side impact tests are different from those performed by the government.
For front impact safety, the Institute uses an "offset" test in which the vehicle strikes a barrier with just part of its front bumper, concentrating impact forces.
In its side impact test, the Institute strikes the vehicle with a moving barrier that is raised off the ground to mimic the impact of an SUV or truck.
Rear impact safety is calculated by, first, measuring various features of the seat and headrest. If those are judged to seem reasonably safe, the seat is then tested using an actual impact test.
2007 Top Safety Pick Awards
Large car
Audi A6 manufactured in Dec. 2006 and later
Midsize cars
Audi A4
Saab 9-3
Subaru Legacy equipped with optional electronic stability control
Minivans
Hyundai Entourage
Kia Sedona
Luxury SUVs
Mercedes M class
Volvo XC90
Midsize SUVs
Acura RDX
Honda Pilot
Subaru B9 Tribeca
Small SUVs
Honda CR-V
Subaru Forester equipped with optional electronic stability control
http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/11/20/...ars/index.html
11-21-2006, 06:54 AM
#2
Pro
the A6 and the A4 have been dominating safety competitions for the past couple of years now. kudos to them. But how about that CRaVe and RDX victory. Thats a great start for those two. Kia and Hyundai? I've been warning everyone for years that we're only around 5-6 years away from Hyundai being a serious force. But geesh.. when did volvo stop winning every category
11-21-2006, 11:33 AM
#4
Not to mention the RDX being classed as a midsize while the CR-V is in the small category.
11-21-2006, 03:37 PM
#6
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Originally Posted by biker
Those size categories seem to have changed - since when is A4 mid sized and A6 large? Sounds like European sizing categories.
Kudos to both CR-V and the RDX. Nice to know, since I'm thinking of purchasing the CR-V in the near future.
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