ROLLOVER, BEETHOVEN

ROLLOVER, BEETHOVEN

RX-8 Tops The NHTSA's Rollover Tests In case you've been unsuccessful convincing the family that the sporty Mazda RX-8 will make a good family car, here's one you can try: The RX-8 just received the government's top rating of five stars for rollover ("hey honey, this car is so safe").

The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today released crash test results for the last 2004 vehicles and some early 2005 vehicles. The agency also released additional rollover ratings for 2004 vehicles. The 2004 Toyota Solara Coupe and the 2005 Chevrolet Equinox 4x4 are the only vehicles in the latest batch to earn the top rating of five stars for frontal and side impact crash tests. NHTSA's consumer information program uses a one- to five-star ranking system that reflects a vehicle's ability to protect the driver and passenger in a crash. New model year 2004 ratings for rollover varied, with passenger cars generally scoring higher than SUVs. As mentioned, the Mazda RX-8 received the top passenger car rating of five stars for rollover. For the light truck category, the highest scoring vehicles included the Dodge Durango 4x4, the Ford F-150 , the Honda Pilot 4x4 and the Toyota Sienna, each receiving a 4-star rating for rollover. NHTSA also uses a five-star scale to rate a vehicle on its likelihood of rollover in a single vehicle crash. A fact sheet containing explanatory information and tables showing crash tests results for recently released model year 2004 and 2005 vehicles can be obtained by calling the NHTSA Auto Safety Hotline, 1-888-327-4236. Crash test information is available at NHTSA's web site: www.safercar.gov. The site also can be used to compare scores for older vehicles. A table showing the rollover and crash test results announced today is posted at www.nhtsa.dot.gov. - Roy Nakano

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