Small cars earned the most top safety ranks from IIHS

Eleven vehicles have won the Top Safety Pick Award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), with four of them in the small vehicle class.
Winners are selected based on their superior overall crash protection among the vehicles in their classes, an IIHS release says. To qualify, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of ‘Good’ in the IIHS’s front, side and rear tests; it must also be equipped with electronic stability control (ESC).
The winners of the small class include: 2009 Honda Civic (with optional ESC); 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer (with optional ESC), 2008-09 Scion xB and 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit.
Midsize winners included both the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta and Passat.
The 2009 Lincoln MKS was the only large luxury car to earn the award.
Midsize SUV winners included the 2009 Ford Flex and 2009 Honda Pilot.
The 2009 Toyota Tacoma was the only small pick-up truck to earn the award. The 2009 Volkswagen Eos was the sole winner in the midsize convertible class.
“Criteria to win are tough because Top Safety Pick is intended to drive continued improvements such as good crash test ratings and rapid addition of electronic stability control, which is standard equipment on nine of the 11 new winners,” said Adrian Lund, IIHS president.