Insurance group lists its Top Safety Picks

After increasing its standards for 2011 models, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that 66 vehicles--more than double the 2010 total--rate as best in the industry at protecting passengers from front, side, rollover and rear crashes.

Only 27 vehicles qualified last year after the group, funded by the insurance industry, required that vehicles pass a roof-strength test to earn a good rating, claiming that stronger roofs would reduce the risk of serious or fatal injury by 50 percent in a rollover accident.

The most mentioned carmakers on the 2011 list are Hyundai/Kia and Volkswagen/Audi, both with nine vehicles to get the Top Safety Pick designation. General Motors, Ford/Lincoln and Toyota/Lexus/Scion had eight vehicles on the list, and Subaru was the only manufacturer to win in all the vehicle classes for which it was eligible.

"Safety is a priority among this crop of winners," IIHS president Adrian Lund said. "That gives consumers shopping for a safer new car or SUV--from economy to luxury models--plenty of choices to consider in most dealer showrooms."

Lund also pointed out that every major automaker had at least one winning model in 2011.

Notable winners are the new Chevrolet Cruze and Ford's redesigned 2011 Explorer, which won for the first time. The Scion tC was added to Toyota's list, and the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee was also selected. The Ford Fiesta is the only minicar, the Toyota Sienna is the only minivan and the Volkswagen Touareg is the only large SUV to make the 2011 list.

In addition to performing well in crash tests, vehicles must also offer electronic stability control as standard or optional equipment.

The institute first began awarding Top Safety Pick honors to 2006 models and has raised the safety expectations every year.

With the added roof-strength requirements, the crash-test ratings now cover all four of the most common crashes.

"In just a year, automakers have more than doubled the number of vehicles that meet the criteria," said Lund. "From the start, these manufacturers set out to design vehicles that would earn Top Safety Pick, even though we've made it harder to win."

2011 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICKS

Large Cars

Buick LaCrosse, Regal

BMW 5-series

Cadillac CTS sedan

Ford Taurus

Hyundai Genesis

Infiniti M37/M56

Lincoln MKS

Mercedes-Benz E-class sedan, coupe

Toyota Avalon

Volvo S80

Midsize Cars

Audi A3, A4

Chevrolet Malibu

Chrysler 200

Dodge Avenger

Ford Fusion

Hyundai Sonata

Kia Optima

Lincoln MKZ

Mercedes-Benz C-class

Subaru Legacy, Outback

Volkswagen Jetta sedan, wagon

Volvo C30

Small cars

Chevrolet Cruze

Honda Civic

Kia Forte, Soul

Mitsubishi Lancer

Nissan Cube

Scion tC, xB

Subaru Impreza

Toyota Corolla

Volkswagen Golf, GTI

Minicar

Ford Fiesta

Minivan

Toyota Sienna

Large SUV

Volkswagen Touareg

Midsize SUVs

Audi Q5

Cadillac SRX

Chevrolet Equinox

Dodge Journey

Ford Explorer, Flex

GMC Terrain

Hyundai Santa Fe

Jeep Grand Cherokee

Kia Sorento

Lexus RX

Lincoln MKT

Mercedes-Benz GLK

Subaru Tribeca

Toyota Highlander, Venza

Volvo XC60, XC90

Small SUVs

Honda Element

Hyundai Tucson

Jeep Patriot

Kia Sportage

Subaru Forester

Volkswagen Tiguan

By Byron Trimble