Ford Motor Co.'s 2009 compact sport utility vehicles have earned the government's highest safety rating, with both the regular and hybrid versions of the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner claiming best-in-class crash-test ratings.
The hybrids' five-star ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are better than four stars averaged by Toyota Motor Corp.'s Highlander and Prius hybrids. Ford hopes this will give its hybrids an edge with increasingly safety-conscious consumers.