Dallas Toyota dealer, Jerry Durant Toyota, has announced that two Toyota vehicles, the 2011 Toyota Sienna and the 2011 Toyota Avalon, have both received top safety pick recognition from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The “Top Safety Pick” is the highest safety designation awarded by the IIHS.  To qualify for the award, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of “good” in the IIHS’ front, side, rollover, and rear impact tests and be equipped with electronic stability control. The IIHS testing was made more stringent in 2010 with the addition of the rollover test.

To earn a “good” rollover rating, a roof must be able to support the equivalent of four times the vehicle’s weight compared with the current federal standard of 1.5.  In the IIHS testing, the Sienna roof withstood a force equal to 4.12 times its vehicle weight.  The Avalon’s weight withstood 4.07 times its vehicle weight.

The new Sienna is the first, and currently the only, minivan to earn an IIHS Top Safety Pick since the rollover test was added to the criteria.

The Avalon sedan offers similar safety features to the Sienna, but was created for Toyota sedan drivers looking for a little extra.  It has an emergency shut-off provision, in-mirror backup camera, an updated gas pedal and more.

Please note that while the 2011 Sienna van and the 2011 Avalon won the “Top Safety Pick” award, all Toyota models meet or exceed the safety requirements of the federal government and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

To view the Sienna and Avalon, as well as other safety-oriented models, visit the Dallas Toyota dealer’s website.

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