New Subaru Forester awarded 2013 “IIHS Top Safety Pick +”
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the best possible ranking of 2013 Top Safety Pick + (TSP+) to the all-new Forester, which is currently sold in North America.
In a joint announcement made by Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles, and Subaru of America, Forester earned an overall rating of “good” in the small overlap test required for winning the TSP+, the only one of 13 small SUVs. This is the third TSP+ award for Subaru vehicles following last year’s first win of 2013 Legacy and Outback (built after August 2012). The Institute’s 2013 TSP+ award requires “good” ratings for occupant protection in at least four of five IIHS evaluations, with no less than “acceptable” in the fifth test.
Subaru has been recognized by IIHS for four consecutive years as the only automotive manufacturer with a Top Safety Pick (TSP) winner in all its lineup models—Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback, Subaru Forester, Subaru Tribeca, Subaru Impreza, Subaru XV Crosstrek and Subaru BRZ—currently sold in the North American region.
On this win, Subaru of America Inc. president and COO Thomas Doll said: “Safety is one of the brand tenets so we are extremely proud to have earned a TSP+ rating for the Forester and a third TSP+ rating for our brand. The Forester is the most award-winning small SUV. Now we have another designation for this venerable vehicle.”
IIHS provides consumers with vehicle-safety information by rating the vehicle’s performance on four passenger protection tests as “good,” “acceptable,” “marginal” or “poor.” To win TSP, a vehicle must have “good” ratings in all four tests of high-speed front and side crash tests, a rollover test, and evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts.
In addition, IIHS introduced the small overlap test in 2012 to further improve occupant protection in frontal crashes. The small overlap test is a demanding crash which replicates what happens when the front corner of a car collides with another vehicle or an object like a tree or utility pole.
