Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Dodge Dart and three others latest to earn IIHS Top Safety Pick

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has named four more vehicles to its coveted Top Safety Pick list, which has grown to include 131 models. This time around, the 2013 Dodge Dart, Lexus ES, Hyundai Santa Fe and Subaru XV Crosstrek achieved top marks for crash safety in all applicable criteria tests. The IIHS has yet to start any large-scale tests of its new small overlap front crash test, so none of these models were subjected to this new category.

Proving how safe small cars now are, the Dart is one of 31 compact cars to grab a spot as a Top Safety Pick, being joined by XV Crosstrek. This is definitely good news for Subaru as, aside from the old-bodied Impreza WRX, its lineup of new products is on this list of safe vehicles.

While the new Santa Fe was named as a Top Safety Pick, it was actually the smaller Santa Fe Sport that was crash tested by Hyundai rather than the three-row model that now wears this name. Finally, both the hybrid (ES 300h) and non-hybrid versions of the new Lexus ES made the cut even though it is listed solely as the ES 350.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/04/d...p-safety-pick/

mmarshall

Advances in metallurgy and computer frame-design/crumple-zones have (all else equal) allowed many of today's smaller cars to achieve the same level of safety and crash-protection (in some cases, better) as in yesterday's larger vehicles. Subaru, of course, has excelled in the IIHS safety-tests for years...as has Volvo and Mercedes.