Subaru Impreza wins top US safety award

Subaru’s iconic Impreza has won a top US safety award from the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety.

The Impreza was awarded the ‘Gold Standard’ for small cars in the ‘Top Safety Picks 2006’.

The Institute rates car crashworthiness as ‘good’, ‘acceptable’, ‘marginal’ or ‘poor’ based on the vehicle’s performance in front, side and rear tests. Subaru scored ‘good’ in all categories.

Improvements to the 2006 Model Year Impreza’s body structure clinched the award. These included a reinforced pillar behind the rear passenger door and upgraded side airbags.

This latest safety boost follows the new B9 Tribeca which was awarded top crash ratings by America’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The US-built SUV scored an outstanding 5-stars for both front and side crash-protection – the maximum achievable.

And last year the Subaru Outback was the only vehicle to achieve a top rating in the American NCAP crash test. The all-wheel drive crossover scored 5-stars for driver and passenger in the front impact test and another 5-stars for driver and passenger in side impacts.