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Top Safety Awards Go to 34 Cars, SUVs and a Pickup

Number of top awards more than doubles this year

By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com

November 15, 2007 Spanish

The Toyota Tundra is the first full-size pickup truck to make the "Top Safety Picks" of the insurance institute.

In all, 34 vehicles earned the IIHS safety award for 2008. The group recognizes vehicles which it considers do the best job of protecting people in front, side, and rear crashes based on crash.

Every vehicle on the list has electronic stability control (ESC), which IIHS research indicates can significantly reduce the risk of crashing.

The 34 vehicles from the 2008 model-year include eight from Ford Motor Co., the Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, Taurus and Taurus X, Mercury Sable, and the Volvo unit's S80, XC90 and C70.

Honda Motor Co. had seven vehicles on the list. They are the Odyssey, Element, Pilot, Accord, CR-V and the Acura MDX and RDX.

Hyundai, Subaru and Audi all had three vehicles on the IIHS list. Chrysler LLC had none.

General Motors Corp.'s new Saturn VUE, which will be built starting in December, is included because of an improved head restraint system.

Also on the list are GM's Saab 9-3 and 9-3 convertible.

11 NEW WINNERS FOR 2008

Midsize cars
Audi A3
Honda Accord

Small car
Subaru Impreza equipped with optional electronic stability control

Minivan
Honda Odyssey

Midsize SUVs
BMW X3
BMW X5
Hyundai Veracruz built after August 2007
Saturn VUE built after December 2007
Toyota Highlander

Small SUV
Honda Element

Large pickup
Toyota Tundra

ALL 34 WINNERS

Large cars
Audi A6
Ford Taurus with optional electronic stability control
Mercury Sable with optional electronic stability control
Volvo S80

Midsize cars
Audi A3, A4
Honda Accord
Saab 9-3
Subaru Legacy with optional electronic stability control

Midsize convertibles
Saab 9-3
Volvo C70

Small car
Subaru Impreza with optional electronic stability control

Minivans
Honda Odyssey
Hyundai Entourage
Kia Sedona

Midsize SUVs
Acura MDX, RDX
BMW X3, X5
Ford Edge, Taurus X
Honda Pilot
Hyundai Santa Fe
Hyundai Veracruz built after August 2007
Lincoln MKX
Mercedes M class
Saturn VUE built after December 2007
Subaru Tribeca
Toyota Highlander
Volvo XC90

Small SUVs
Honda CR-V, Element
Subaru Forester with optional electronic stability control

Large pickup
Toyota Tundra

A number of vehicles almost made the “Best Pick” list. Volkwsagen's Eos, Jetta, Passat and Rabbit, as well as Nissan's Pathfinder, Xterra, Quest and Infiniti M35/M45, would have made the list if they had better head restrains, according to says Institute President Adrian Lund.

Also close but not quite on the list are the Toyota Prius, Avalon, Camry, RAV4 and Sienna.

ALSO RANS
Twenty-three vehicles earn good ratings in front and side crash tests. They have ESC, standard or optional. They would be 2008 Top Safety Pick winners if their seat/head restraints also earned good ratings:

Lund said his organization would continue to toughen the "Top Safety Pick" program.

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