The new Subaru Forester has been designated a "best pick" and won a top crashworthiness rating in frontal offset crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in the United States.
New Forester rated "good" overall, the highest crashworthiness rating awarded by the IIHS.
It was one of two vehicles to earn a "best pick" rating - the first time the IIHS has awarded this in the Small Sports Utility Vehicle category.
The ratings reflect performance in a 64km/h frontal offset crash test into a deformable barrier.
Four ratings - good, acceptable, marginal and poor - are given, based on how well the structure protects the occupant compartment, what the risk of injury is for an average-size male and how well the restraint systems control occupant movement.
Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru vehicles, has improved the structural design of the latest Forester by adopting subframes in the frontal crushable zone. These subframes help effectively absorb and manage the crash energy.
The same 64km/h offset crash test is used to evaluate new cars by the European Union in cooperation with motor clubs; by an Australian consortium of state governments and motor clubs, and by a government-affiliated organization in Japan.
In addition to the Forester, the IIHS gave "best pick" designations to the Subaru Legacy 2000-2002 (known as Liberty in Australia) and the Impreza 2002 in their respective categories.
The latest results follow last week's news from the IIHS, that the bumpers of the new Forester performed well in low-speed crashes, preventing extensive damage.
The IIHS is a non-profit organization for vehicle research, safety and evaluation.