Volvo's reputation has been built on safety, so Volvo's absence from last year's Insurance Institute Top Safety Pick list was surprising to many consumers. The fact is, however, that many companies now make very safe cars, not just Volvo. Ford's Swedish luxury brand makes the cut this year with its XC90 SUV.

  The Legacy is Subaru's midsized answer to the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Aside from its strong performance in the Insurance Institute's very demanding crash tests, the Legacy also offers all-wheel-drive. That's something you won't find in any Camry.

  To make the Top Picks list for 2007, the Insurance Institute required vehicles to have electronic stability control available as, at least, an option. The Subaru Forester and Legacy are the only vehicles on the list that do not have it as standard equipment. For the Forester, stability control is available only on the Sports 2.5 XT version.

  Its peculiar design may not suit your tastes, but the Tribeca does perform very well in crash tests. Electronic stability control comes as standard equipment.

  The 9-3 offers excellent handling and performance for a front-wheel drive car. Evidently, it offers class-leading safety, as well.

  With its car-like engineering, the M-class is, technically speaking, a crossover vehicle. It handles well and, according to the Insurance Institute's tests, offers excellent protection in the event of a wreck.

  The Sedona is Kia's new minivan. The Hyundai Entourage is essentially the same vehicle with relatively minor differences. The Sedona has a smooth and quiet ride, comfortable interior and solid build quality, according to Edmunds.com. (CNNMoney.com has not yet tested either vehicle.)

 

 The Entourage is Hyundai's new minivan. The Kia Sedona is essentially the same vehicle with relatively minor differences. The Sedona has a smooth and quiet ride, comfortable interior and solid build quality, according to Edmunds.com. (Edmunds has no available review information for the Entourage and CNNMoney.com has not yet tested either vehicle.)

 

  The mid-sized Honda Pilot has been one of the most popular crossover SUVs around since its introduction in 2002. Like all Honda SUVs, it comes standard with electronic stability control.

  The CR-V shares some of its basic engineering with the Honda Civic. That car was dropped from the Insurance Institute's Top Picks list, however, because of a new requirement that all vehicles on the list must offer electronic stability control.

 

 The A6 was close to making the cut last year, but it was hampered by a merely "Acceptable" performance in whiplash protection. With improvements to the Audi's seats, the A6 and smaller A4 earned the Insurance Institute's Top Safety Pick award.

  The A4 was close to making the cut last year, but it was hampered by a merely "Acceptable" performance in whiplash protection. With improvements to the Audi's seats, the A4 and larger A6 earned the Insurance Institute's Top Safety Pick award.

 The Acura RDX shares some of its basic engineering with the Honda CR-V, which was also awarded a Top Safety Pick award by the Insurance Institute. As with all Honda SUVs, electronic stability control, which helps prevent vehicles from going out of control or flipping over in emergency maneuvers, comes as standard equipment on the RDX.