Safest 2008 luxury cars

Mercedes M class (Photo/cardomain.com)

Luxury automakers are quick to install the latest gadgets in their newest models. Most, like parking assist and advanced climate-control systems, are expensive gizmos there for the enjoyment of the passenger.

Others, like electronic stability control (ESC), can save lives.

That's what drivers of the Audi A6 will find in the 2008 model. Equipped with a remote-control trunk and Bose sound system as standard features, the $46,006 A6 also comes standard with ESC.

That's a good thing, since some are calling ESC the most revolutionary automotive safety device since the seat belt.

"We've seen ESC reduce fatalities by as much as half in some instances," says Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Virginia-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "ESC is especially great at reducing the fatalities for single-car crashes."

ESC immediately found favor with insurance companies and regulatory agencies when it was first introduced to the mass market in 2004. It works by monitoring and comparing a driver's intended course with a vehicle's actual direction. Hit an icy patch or a spot of gravel on a turn and ESC will brake tires individually to control skidding.

Rader calls ESC "the most important safety feature people have never heard of."

Behind The Numbers

To be a 2008 IIHS "Top Safety Pick," a vehicle must have ESC as an available feature. This year's list is made up of 34 vehicles, most of them SUVs.

Vehicles also must have received the top rating of "good" in each of the IIHS's three crash tests--the 40-mph front impact, 31-mph side impact and 20-mph rear impact tests are designed to mimic real-world conditions.

Luxury autos (those over $30,000) making the grade include the $34,995 Subaru Impreza WRX STi and the $31,935 Totota Tundra.

Unfortunately for the penny-pinching worrier, many Top Safety Picks don't come cheap, and additional safety features raise sticker prices.

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The Mercedes M class SUV, for example, offers ESC as a standard feature, but also comes with a tire-pressure warning system and automatic crash notification, which instantly alerts emergency services if the car is in a collision. With an MSRP of $52,750, the M class is the most expensive car on the list.

While the Audi A6 retails for less, adding optional rearview cameras, cornering lights and Xenon headlamps can cost an additional $6,050 when the premium and technology packages are added.

Still, if safety is what you seek, money should be no object.

(Andrew Egan, Forbes.com)