DEARBORN, MI – The 2008 Ford Explorer is more resistant to damage and less likely to cause damage to other vehicles in low-speed crashes than other mid-size SUVs, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reported.

“The Ford Explorer has been the benchmark SUV for family capability, safety, and value for two decades,” said Darryl Hazel, president, Ford Customer Service Division. “Insurance companies are more likely to give Explorer customers discounts because of this established track record.”

Ford was the first to market with crash structures on SUVs that are more compatible with passenger cars. When the Explorer was redesigned for the 2002 model year, the front bumper was dropped nearly two inches, to better align with the crash structures of passenger cars.

The 2008 Explorer retains that design, which helps to reduce damage to cars in common slow-speed incidents and allows lower vehicles’ energy-absorbing bumpers to do their work. The Explorer is the only mid-size SUV to receive the government’s highest frontal crash test rating for six consecutive years.

In front-to-rear collision tests, the other SUVs overrode the rear bumpers of stationary Hyundai Sonatas causing damage ranging from $3,891 to $4,737, and each SUV sustained more than $1,000 damage. By comparison, the Explorer sustained less than $1,000 damage, and it inflicted only about one-third as much damage on the mid-size sedan.

The IIHS reported real-world crash data is consistent with the tests. The Explorer had lower-than-average losses under the same insurance coverage during the same years compared to the competitive models.