Subaru Forester wins esteemed safety ranking from IIHS

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd - the manufacturer of Subaru cars - has announced that the new Forester (North American specific version) has been awarded with the 2013 Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) rating. The TSP+ is the best possible award from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) - a nonprofit organization supported by auto insurers in the U.S.

The Forester was the only model out of 13 other small SUV's to earn an overall rating of good in the small overlap test required for winning the TSP+.

The additional small overlap test was introduced last year to further improve occupant protection in head-on crashes. The small overlap test replicates what happens in the event when the front corner of a car collides with another vehicle or object.

Thomas Doll, President and COO of Subaru of America, Inc. 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."

Subaru is the only automotive manufacturer with a Top Safety Pick (TSP) rating from IIHS in all its lineup models currently sold in the North American region for the past four years. TSP is the best evaluation for safety other than TSP+.

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 be awarded with the Top Safety Pick  - a vehicle must have 'good' ratings in all four tests comprising high speed front and side crash tests, a rollover test, and evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts.