<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/carbuying/" rel="tag">Car Buying</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/economy/" rel="tag">Budget</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/sedans/" rel="tag">Sedan</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/safety/" rel="tag">Safety</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/tech/" rel="tag">Technology</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/hatchbacks/" rel="tag">Hatchback</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/ford/" rel="tag">Ford</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/25/2011-ford-fiesta-nabs-iihs-top-safety-pick-autoblog-watc/#continued"><img hspace="0" border="1" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/01-fiesta-630.jpg" alt="" /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><small>2011 Ford Fiesta gets IIHS Top Safety Pick - Click above to watch video <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/25/2011-ford-fiesta-nabs-iihs-top-safety-pick-autoblog-watc/#continued">after the jump</a></small></strong></em></div>
<br />
We have mountains of respect for the men and women who work at the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/iihs">Insurance Institute for Highway Safety</a>. After being invited to the institute's Charlottesville, Virginia facility for a front-row seat to the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/fiesta">2011 Ford Fiesta's</a> frontal-offset test, we can honestly say that if we had their job, we'd have a hard time getting into just any old car ever again. While the Blue Oval's new sub-compact passed its battery of evaluations with flying colors (being the first and only minicar to earn a Top Safety Pick nod since the institute added a rollover test), we were also treated to a tour of some of the more poorly engineered models from the recent past. <br />
<br />
Manufacturers have made an impressive amount progress on the safety front in the last decade, thanks largely to a close partnership with the IIHS. The institute has worked to revise crash tests to more accurately reflect the composition of vehicles on the road. One of its primary functions is to identify crashes where people die in otherwise well-rated vehicles and to adjust crash tests accordingly. While the public identifies the institute with bouncing perfectly good cars off of chunks of aluminum and concrete, the truth is that crash testing is only a small part of the IIHS mission. Of course, it's also the most fun part. <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/25/2011-ford-fiesta-nabs-iihs-top-safety-pick-autoblog-watc/#continued">Follow the jump</a> to take a look at a video of the Fiesta's frontal-offset test.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-fiesta-iihs-crash-tests">2011 Ford Fiesta IIHS Crash Tests</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-fiesta-iihs-crash-tests/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/03-fiesta_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-fiesta-iihs-crash-tests/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/01-fiesta_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-fiesta-iihs-crash-tests/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/02-fiesta_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-fiesta-iihs-crash-tests/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/04-fiesta_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-fiesta-iihs-crash-tests/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/05-fiesta_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />
<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/iihs-crash-test-exhibition-hall">IIHS Crash Test Exhibition Hall</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/iihs-crash-test-exhibition-hall/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/01-iihs_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/iihs-crash-test-exhibition-hall/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/02-iihs_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/iihs-crash-test-exhibition-hall/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/03-iihs_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/iihs-crash-test-exhibition-hall/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/04-iihs_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/iihs-crash-test-exhibition-hall/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/05-iihs_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />
<em><strong><small>Some photos by Zach Bowman / Copyright (C)2010 AOL</small></strong></em><p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/25/2011-ford-fiesta-nabs-iihs-top-safety-pick-autoblog-watc/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Video: 2011 Ford Fiesta nabs IIHS Top Safety Pick, Autoblog watches</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/25/2011-ford-fiesta-nabs-iihs-top-safety-pick-autoblog-watc/">Video: 2011 Ford Fiesta nabs IIHS Top Safety Pick, Autoblog watches</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblog</a> on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/25/2011-ford-fiesta-nabs-iihs-top-safety-pick-autoblog-watc/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19606752/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/25/2011-ford-fiesta-nabs-iihs-top-safety-pick-autoblog-watc/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><small>2011 Ford Fiesta gets IIHS Top Safety Pick - Click above to watch video <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/25/2011-ford-fiesta-nabs-iihs-top-safety-pick-autoblog-watc/#continued">after the jump</a></small></strong></em></div>
<br />
We have mountains of respect for the men and women who work at the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/iihs">Insurance Institute for Highway Safety</a>. After being invited to the institute's Charlottesville, Virginia facility for a front-row seat to the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/fiesta">2011 Ford Fiesta's</a> frontal-offset test, we can honestly say that if we had their job, we'd have a hard time getting into just any old car ever again. While the Blue Oval's new sub-compact passed its battery of evaluations with flying colors (being the first and only minicar to earn a Top Safety Pick nod since the institute added a rollover test), we were also treated to a tour of some of the more poorly engineered models from the recent past. <br />
<br />
Manufacturers have made an impressive amount progress on the safety front in the last decade, thanks largely to a close partnership with the IIHS. The institute has worked to revise crash tests to more accurately reflect the composition of vehicles on the road. One of its primary functions is to identify crashes where people die in otherwise well-rated vehicles and to adjust crash tests accordingly. While the public identifies the institute with bouncing perfectly good cars off of chunks of aluminum and concrete, the truth is that crash testing is only a small part of the IIHS mission. Of course, it's also the most fun part. <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/25/2011-ford-fiesta-nabs-iihs-top-safety-pick-autoblog-watc/#continued">Follow the jump</a> to take a look at a video of the Fiesta's frontal-offset test.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-fiesta-iihs-crash-tests">2011 Ford Fiesta IIHS Crash Tests</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-fiesta-iihs-crash-tests/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/03-fiesta_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-fiesta-iihs-crash-tests/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/01-fiesta_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-fiesta-iihs-crash-tests/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/02-fiesta_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-fiesta-iihs-crash-tests/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/04-fiesta_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-fiesta-iihs-crash-tests/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/05-fiesta_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />
<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/iihs-crash-test-exhibition-hall">IIHS Crash Test Exhibition Hall</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/iihs-crash-test-exhibition-hall/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/01-iihs_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/iihs-crash-test-exhibition-hall/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/02-iihs_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/iihs-crash-test-exhibition-hall/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/03-iihs_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/iihs-crash-test-exhibition-hall/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/04-iihs_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/iihs-crash-test-exhibition-hall/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/05-iihs_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />
<em><strong><small>Some photos by Zach Bowman / Copyright (C)2010 AOL</small></strong></em><p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/25/2011-ford-fiesta-nabs-iihs-top-safety-pick-autoblog-watc/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Video: 2011 Ford Fiesta nabs IIHS Top Safety Pick, Autoblog watches</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/25/2011-ford-fiesta-nabs-iihs-top-safety-pick-autoblog-watc/">Video: 2011 Ford Fiesta nabs IIHS Top Safety Pick, Autoblog watches</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblog</a> on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/25/2011-ford-fiesta-nabs-iihs-top-safety-pick-autoblog-watc/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19606752/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/25/2011-ford-fiesta-nabs-iihs-top-safety-pick-autoblog-watc/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>
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