The Audi A4 with standard side airbags and the Chevy Malibu with optional side airbags won top honors from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Among five 2005 model midsize sedans, the A4 and the Malibu earned the "best pick" designation in recent side-impact crash tests, the institute announced Monday.
The Volvo S60 earned the second-highest rating of "acceptable," while the Suzuki Verona and Nissan Maxima were rated "marginal." For the record, no vehicle in the midsize-sedan group was rated "poor."

The A4, which also was a "best pick" in the frontal offset crash test, is the second car to earn the designation in both tests. Along with the Saab 9-3, it was given a "double best pick" designation.

The institute's side impact test is severe, reflecting what happens when vehicles are hit in the side by a pickup or SUV. These latest test results show that more and more manufacturers are improving their vehicles to better protect occupants in side impact crashes.

The institute rates nine midsize car designs as "good" for side impact protection. Five more midsize models will be tested in side impacts later this year.





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