Convertible Safety List, From The Top Down

Highway Safety Group Tests Ten Popular Models And Discovers Big Price Tags Don't Guarantee Safety

(CBS)  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has tested the crashworthiness of ten popular mid-size convertibles.

They found the top two safety picks were the Saab 9-3 and the Volvo C70; their performance in the crash tests was "impressive," said Adrian Lund, president of the Institute.

"These cars combine what convertible buyers should look for if they're shopping with safety in mind," he said in a release. "The Saab and the Volvo not only provide good protection in high-speed front and side crashes but also have good seat and head restraint designs for protecting against whiplash in rear crashes."

According to The Early Show contributor Susan Koeppen, The Institute's evaluation showed that the price of a car doesn't determine how safe it is; though the top two safety picks, the Saab 9-3 and the Volvo C70 both sell for about $40,000, the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Volkswagen EOS and Chrysler Sebring – all of which tested well – were among the least expensive cars tested by the Institute.

Conversely, the Audi A4 and the BMW 3, both of which are considered high-end automobiles, sustained considerable damage in the tests.

"You could spend twice as much for an Audi A4 convertible, which is an older design based on the previous A4 sedan, but it's rated marginal in our side test," said Lund.

The cars were rated on how they withstood impact in front, on the side and in the rear.

Here is the list of the convertibles tested, listed in descending order


Top Safety Pick: Saab 9-3
Has front seat-mounted combination head and torso airbags
Front and side: 2004-2007 models; rear: 2006-2207 models

Top Safety Pick: Volvo C70
With front door-mounted head curtain and front seat-mounted torso airbags
Front, side and rear: 2006-2007

Mitsubishi Eclipse
Has front seat-mounted combination head and torso airbags
Front, side and rear: 2007 models

Volkswagen EOS
With front seat-mounted combination head and torso airbags
Front,s ide and rear: 2007 models

Chrysler Sebring
With front seat-mounted combination head and torso airbags
Front, side and rear: 2008 models

Toyota Camry Solara
With optional front seat-mounted combination head and torso airbags
Front, side and rear: 2004-2007 models

Ford Mustang
Has front seat-mounted combination head and torso airbags
Front: 2007 models (made after May, 2007); side: 2007 models (made after January, 2007); rear: 2005-2007 models

BMW 3 Series
With front seat-mounted combination head and torso airbags
Front and rear: 2007 models; side: 2007 models (made after April, 2007)

Audi A4 Cabriolet
With front seat-mounted combination head and torso airbags
Front: 2007 models; side and rear: 2003-2007 models

Pontiac G6
With optional front seat-mounted torso airbags
Front and rear: 2006-2007 models; side: 2007 models (made after January, 2007)

To read more details about the report, go to the IIHS Web site.