The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released crash results Tuesday for seven passenger cars, a pickup and an SUV, and rollover results for 10 pickup trucks and a van. The best all-around performer was the four-door Subaru Outback, which the agency considers an SUV. It was the only vehicle to earn five stars in each crash category. The best-performing pickups in the rollover tests were the Dodge Ram 1500 4x2, the Chevrolet Colorado 4x4, and its corporate twin, the GMC Canyon 4x4. All three trucks earned four stars and have a 17.9 percent chance of rolling over in a crash. The Ford Freestar van earned four stars in rollover testing and was found to have a 14.7 percent chance of rolling over in a crash. In a group of newly tested 2005 models, the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum were the safest among cars. They received the government’s highest rating of five stars in frontal crashes and for the driver in side impacts, and four stars for rear passengers in a side crash. Rollover tests are conducted at 35 to 50 miles per hour and involve a sharp steering over correction, according to the NHTSA.
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