Top picks:
- Audi A3
- Audi A4
- Audi Q5
- Volkswagen Jetta sedan
- Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen
- Volkswagen Golf
- Volkswagen GTI
- Volkswagen Tiguan
- Volkswagen Touareg
A big winner this year, Volkswagen/Audi was slated to win eight awards, but then the German automaker asked the institute to test its redesigned Volkswagen Touareg. The organization doesn’t usually evaluate SUVs that large, but the Touareg passed with flying colors, giving Volkswagen/Audi its ninth safety award. Although it has mediocre fuel economy and back-seat and cargo space, Edmunds.com says, the “Touareg is a well-designed SUV that offers commendable driving dynamics and – thanks to its solid German construction (read: hefty curb weight) – a feeling of indestructibility.”
