Ford500Ten passenger cars that offer top protection to the passengers in front, side and rear crashes have won praise from the insurance company Sunday.



A new award called the Top Safety Pick award has been announced by the Institute for Highway Safety which was based on the performance of the vehicles in their crash tests.



The winners of the gold award include the Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego; the Saab 9-3; the Subaru Legacy; and the Honda Civic four-door. The Ford Five Hundred and Montego were considered the same car for award purposes. They topped the scores in frontal offset and side impact tests, and a test that reviews seat and head restraints in their rear crashes.



The silver award went to the Audi A6, Audi A3 and Audi A4; the Chevrolet Malibu with optional side air bags; and the Volkswagen Jetta and Passat. They were recognized as vehicles that won in front and side crash tests, in addition to the second-highest mark in seat and head restraint ratings.



The awards, which consider a vehicle’s overall safety as the main criteria, replaced the the previous practice of providing “best pick” designations for vehicles in each of the three tests.



These awards provide a better picture for the consumers to compare vehicles without reviewing multiple sets of tests.







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