Tim McElhinny, CIC, LUTCF
Partner, McElhinny Insurance Agency, LLC
tim@mcelhinny.com
412-650-5700
Automakers have stepped up safety. Ten new vehicles have joined the 2011 TOP SAFETY PICK winners list from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for a total of 66 winners. One of them is the 2011 Ford Explorer, which joins, for the first time, previous and current Ford SUV winners: the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT. The all-new Ford Fiesta is the only minicar to earn the TOP SAFETY PICK in 2011.
What’s not on the list? Pickups. None of the small pickups the Institute evaluated qualified for this year’s award, and large pickups haven’t yet been tested.
The front-running automakers on the list are Hyundai/Kia and Volkswagen/Audi who each have 9 winners for 2011. Next in line with 8 awards apiece are General Motors, Ford/Lincoln, and Toyota/Lexus/Scion. Subaru is the only manufacturer with a winner in all the vehicle classes in which it competes. Subaru earns 5 awards for 2011.
Notably, for consumers looking to buy a fuel-efficient small car, General Motors provides a new award-winning option with the Chevrolet Cruze. GM built the Cruze—which has 10 standard airbags—including ones for the knees, to outperform the government’s minimum roof strength requirements and touts the achievement as a selling point.
If you’re buying a new car, keep safety in mind and check out the full list of winners. Also, give us a call beforehand and we can let you know how much your new car will cost to insure before you buy. We can help you learn which safety features can earn you a discount on your ERIE auto insurance, too.
2011 TOP SAFETY PICK WINNERS (new winners in red)
Large cars
Buick LaCrosse
Buick Regal
BMW 5 series (except 4-wheel drive and V8)
Cadillac CTS sedan
Ford Taurus
Hyundai Genesis
Infiniti M37/M56 (except M56x 4-wheel drive)
Lincoln MKS
Mercedes E class coupe
Mercedes E class sedan
Toyota Avalon
Volvo S80
Midsize cars
Audi A3
Audi A4 sedan
Chevrolet Malibu
Chrysler 200 4-door
Dodge Avenger
Ford Fusion
Hyundai Sonata
Kia Optima
Lincoln MKZ
Mercedes C class
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Volkswagen Jetta sedan
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen
Volvo C30
Small cars
Chevrolet Cruze
Honda Civic 4-door models (except Si) with optional electronic stability control
Kia Forte sedan
Kia Soul
Mitsubishi Lancer sedan (except 4-wheel drive)
Nissan Cube
Scion tC
Scion xB
Subaru Impreza sedan and hatchback (except WRX)
Toyota Corolla
Volkswagen Golf 4-door
Volkswagen GTI 4-door
Minicar
Ford Fiesta sedan and hatchback (built after July 2010)
Small SUVs
Honda Element
Hyundai Tucson
Jeep Patriot with optional side torso airbags
Kia Sportage
Subaru Forester
Volkswagen Tiguan
Large SUV
Volkswagen Touareg
Minivan
Toyota Sienna
Midsize SUVs
Audi Q5
Cadillac SRX
Chevrolet Equinox
Dodge Journey
Ford Explorer
Ford Flex
GMC Terrain
Hyundai Santa Fe
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Kia Sorento built after March 2010
Lexus RX
Lincoln MKT
Mercedes GLK
Subaru Tribeca
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Venza
Volvo XC60
Volvo XC90
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in all states. Go to erieinsurance.com for company licensure and territory
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