The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently conducted their first-ever crash tests on convertibles. Of the 10 vehicles evaluated, only 2 received the coveted Top Safety Pick award: The Saab 9-3 and the Volvo C70.
To earn this recognition, a vehicle must score a Good rating in Frontal, Side and Rear evaluations. Furthermore, the vehicle must be available with electronic stability control.
According to the IIHS, the performances of the 9-3 and C70 are impressive. Institute President Adrian Lund adds that these cars combine what convertible buyers should look for if they're shopping with safety in mind. The Saab and Volvo not only provide good protection in high-speed front and side crashes but also have good seat and head restraint designs for protecting against whiplash in rear crashes.
Before these tests were conducted, the IIHS believed, like most of us, that a convertible could never protect occupants as well as a coupe or a regular sedan, but they obviously can.
One of the principal differences between some convertible and the other body styles is the presence of rollover hoops which deploy when sensors detect the possibility of an imminent rollover. The IIHS does point out that you will always be safer, generally speaking, in a vehicle with a fixed roof.
They also remind everybody to always wear your seatbelts.
From Best to Worse, here are the participants in the IIHS' evaluations for 2007 model year convertibles:
For more information, here is the link to the IIHS' website:
http://www.iihs.org/
 |
| 2007 Saab 9-3 |
To earn this recognition, a vehicle must score a Good rating in Frontal, Side and Rear evaluations. Furthermore, the vehicle must be available with electronic stability control.
According to the IIHS, the performances of the 9-3 and C70 are impressive. Institute President Adrian Lund adds that these cars combine what convertible buyers should look for if they're shopping with safety in mind. The Saab and Volvo not only provide good protection in high-speed front and side crashes but also have good seat and head restraint designs for protecting against whiplash in rear crashes.
Before these tests were conducted, the IIHS believed, like most of us, that a convertible could never protect occupants as well as a coupe or a regular sedan, but they obviously can.
 |
| 2007 Volvo C70 |
One of the principal differences between some convertible and the other body styles is the presence of rollover hoops which deploy when sensors detect the possibility of an imminent rollover. The IIHS does point out that you will always be safer, generally speaking, in a vehicle with a fixed roof.
They also remind everybody to always wear your seatbelts.
From Best to Worse, here are the participants in the IIHS' evaluations for 2007 model year convertibles:
- SAAB 9-3
- Volvo C70
- Mitsubishi Eclipse
- Volkswagen EOS
- Chrysler Sebring
- Toyota Solara
- Ford Mustang
- BMW 3 Series Convertible
- Audi A4 Cabriolet
- Pontiac G6
For more information, here is the link to the IIHS' website:
http://www.iihs.org/