Jim Ellis Saab Atlanta

The Saab 9-4X, a new mid-size luxury SUV, earns the Institute's top safety designation. The 9-4X is rated good in the Institute's front, side and rollover evaluations based on good performances for its structural twin, the Cadillac SRX. A separate rear impact test was conducted for the seats/head restraints in the 9-4X resulting in a good rating for protection in rear-end crashes.

TOP SAFETY PICK recognizes the vehicles that earn the highest ratings in all 4 Institute safety evaluations, and that have electronic stability control, which is standard on the 9-4X.

The Saab 9-5 , a large luxury car, is a TOP SAFETY PICK award winner after earning good ratings for performance in the Institute's roof strength test for rollover protection. This car earlier earned good ratings for front, side, and rear crash protection, and it has standard electronic stability control.

To measure roof strength, a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle's roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle's weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. This is a good assessment of vehicle structural protection in rollover crashes.