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2016 Subaru WRX makes IIHS TSP+ fun

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We write about boring, utilitarian compacts being named to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick+ list pretty regularly. Today, we've got yet another fun car to add to the tally – the Subaru WRX.

Thanks to the inclusion of the company's impressive EyeSight active safety system, the WRX was able to score a "Superior" rating on IIHS' frontal crash prevention test, which is the highest score possible. Vehicles are required to score at least an "Advanced" rating to earn the TSP+ mark.

In addition to the active safety system, TSP+ vehicles must also record "Good" ratings across the four basic crash tests – front, side, rear, and rollover – and a "Good" or "Acceptable" rating the small-overlap crash test. Of course, Subaru is no stranger to IIHS' biggest honor – the Legacy and Outback were named Top Safety Pick + vehicles in April 2014.

We're still scouring the Internet for the actual crash test video from IIHS. Once we uncover it, we'll update this post. Until then, scroll down for the official press release from Subaru.

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2016 Subaru WRX Awarded IIHS' Highest Standard of Safety "2015 TOP SAFETY PICK (TSP) +"

●   "EyeSight" achieved the highest possible rating of "Superior" for front crash prevention.

●   Seven models have earned 2015 safety awards from IIHS.

Tokyo, September 14, 2015 - Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles, today announced that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS; a nonprofit organization supported by auto insurers in the US) has awarded the highest standard of safety, 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK+ (TSP+) along with the highest possible rating of "Superior" for front crash prevention to the 2016 Subaru WRX (US specs.), equipped with Subaru's EyeSight* driver assist technology. By adopting the EyeSight for 2016 model, WRX earned 6 of 6 points for front crash prevention. Including 2016 Subaru WRX, Subaru has seven models that have earned 2015 safety awards from IIHS - six with TOP SAFETY PICK+ and one with TOP SAFETY PICK.

The EyeSight was the first system ever to use only stereo camera technology to detect the objects such as vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. Since its Japanese debut in May 2008, features available on this system have been highly praised; they included pre-collision braking control and all-speed range adaptive cruise control tracking function. FHI keeps offering substantially enhanced preventive safety performance to more customers by expanding the EyeSight driver assist technology to Japan, Australia, North America and Europe.

To win TOP SAFETY PICK, a vehicle must have "Good" ratings in all four tests of high-speed front and side crash tests, a rollover test, and evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts. In addition, "Good" or "Acceptable" performance in a small overlap front test introduced in 2012 is also required. The 2016 WRX earned the highest possible rating of "Good" in these five IIHS evaluations for occupant protection. The same level of performance in those tests, along with an "Advanced" or "Superior" rating for front crash prevention, is required for the higher accolade, TOP SAFETY PICK+.

Subaru WRX Information

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