Latest InsuranceInstitute 40-MPH Crash Test Results (NAPSA)—Howwell will a car stand up to a crash? Knowing the answer could steer you and your family toward buying a safer vehicle. That’s one reason the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (ITHS) runscrash tests every year. The Institute rates cars based on their performance in a 40 mph frontal offset crash test into a deformable barrier. Based on results, the Institute evaluates the crashworthiness of passenger vehicles, assigning them ratings of “ood,” “acceptable,” “marginal,” or “poor.” Better performers in the “good” category are also assigned “best pick” ratings. The highest overall rating of “sood” in the most recent test went to the Suzuki Aerio. According to the ITHS evaluation, the car ranked higher in crashworthiness than the top-selling Ford Focus, the Volkswagen Jetta and the Mini Cooper, which sell for hundreds, even thou- sandsof dollars more. Another model in the ITHS test group, the Volvo S40, with an MSRPof $23,000, costs nine thou- sand dollars more than the higherrated Suzuki Aerio. In addition, the Aerio received the same rating as the more expensive Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Subaru Impreza. “Suzuki is proud to provide both safety and a high level of value in its vehicles, from small cars to right-sized seven-passenger SUVs, such as our XL-7,” explains American Suzuki President, Rick Suzuki. The Suzuki XL-7 SUV also received a “good” rating in the same IIHS 40-mph frontal offset crash evaluation, achieving the same rating as BMW and Mercedes SUVscosting thousands more.
