A-Class Benz Failed Test, But Lowly Trabi Passes

BONN - The Trabant, a spluttering two-stroke East German car with 1950s technology, has passed with flying colors the "moose-avoidance" test that a high-tech Mercedes-Benz model famously flunked.

The Thueringer Allgemeine newspaper conducted its test on an abandoned Soviet air strip in the eastern town of Eisenach and claimed the Trabant was safer than the "baby Benz."

"Come and get us, moose! Trabi passes A-class killer test," the newspaper wrote in a front-page banner headline, referring to the Mercedes A-Class car that failed an identical safety test done by Swedish journalists last month.

The A-class flipped over during the test, which tries to replicate how a vehicle handles during sudden evasive turns, and Mercedes-Benz halted deliveries just weeks after its launch.

The eastern daily said that the Trabi, a smoky box-shaped car whose rasping engine emits noxious clouds of blue exhaust, zipped through the "moose-avoidance test" at speeds of nearly 50 mph without tipping over.

That was 10 mph faster than the speed at which the A-Class car flipped onto its side.

"Despite a tail end that is actually far too light, the Trabi was incredibly stable when changing lanes," said Mario Schuhmann, a 28-year-old professional race-car driver hired by the newspaper for the test.

Ford recalls Aerostars for drivetrain failure

DETROIT - Some Aerostar vans could see their transmissions fail at high speeds, especially in hot weather, Ford said in recalling 82,000 of the four-wheel-drive vehicles.

The vans' transmissions or transfer cases could develop structural failure, resulting in fluid loss and driveshaft separation, Ford said.

The recall affects certain 1992 to 1997 Aerostars. Owners will be notified by mail. Work will be completed at dealerships at no charge.

Insurance group's test finds no small 4-doors rate `good'

WASHINGTON - A test of 11 small four-door cars for their ability to withstand crashes found none of them worthy of a "good" rating, an insurance industry group said Tuesday.

Honda's Civic and Toyota's Corolla were at the top of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's list but were only rated "acceptable."

Institute President Brian O'Neill said the laws of physics dictated that light cars could not offer as much protection as larger, heavier vehicles.

"It's important for the crashworthiness designs of smaller cars to be as good as possible," O'Neill said in a statement.

The institute is an auto-safety research group funded by the insurance industry.

The worst performer in the tests was the Kia's Sephia.

Tests were based on a 40 mph frontal crash test designed to evaluate front-end crush zone performance, passenger-compartment intrusion and injury risk measured by a dummy.