When the feds rate cars for crashability, you get as many as five ratings with 1 to 5 stars: front protection for driver and passenger, side protection for front and back seat, and rollover resistance. Others measure the value of head restraints. Some measure direct front impact, some offset frontal impact (Europeans say cars seldom crash directly head on, so they stiffen their front ends, which disadvantaged them on direct frontal tests, because the cars didn't collapse enough.)

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a Beltway research/lobbying group, has boiled it down to gold and silver for the best of the best. Gold stars for the windshields go to Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montege twins with optional side airbags (big car), Saab 9-3 and Subaru Legacy (mid-size car), and Honda Civic four-door. Silver goes to Audi A6 (big); Audi A3 and A4, Chevy Malibu (with side airbags); VW Jetta and Passat (mid-size). There were no runners-up for small cars.