Subaru of America, Inc. today announced that the 2008 Subaru Forester will have the highest rating in the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) crash tests. The Subaru Forester received five stars in both the frontal and side-impact crash tests for both the driver and passenger seating positions.
"The Subaru Forester is the most award winning small SUV in America," said Thomas J. Doll, executive vice president, Subaru of America, Inc. "And when it comes to safety, the Subaru Forester is again leading the way. The proven active and passive safety features including Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and available Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC), give Forester customers confidence, control, and peace of mind."
NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) provides consumers with vehicle safety information, primarily front and side crash test results, and more recently rollover ratings, to aid consumers in their vehicle purchase decisions. The test results are relayed to consumers via an easily recognizable star rating system - from 1 to 5 stars, with 5 being the highest. The NCAP crash tests are conducted at speeds higher than required by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for both side impacts, at 38.5 miles per hour, and full frontal barrier impacts, at 35 miles per hour. The tests are done to compare vehicles for the NHTSA Consumer Information Program and the results can be found at http://www.safercar.gov/.
Like all Subaru models, the 2008 Forester has been optimized for both active safety (the technology to help the driver avoid hazardous situations) and passive safety (the systems that help protect occupants in the event of a collision).
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