FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA – The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has rated the 2011 Hyundai Equus with top ratings across the board in the Institute's safety evaluations, qualifying the vehicle as a Top Safety Pick.

The Equus is rated good for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and it has electronic stability control, another requirement for earning the Institute's highest accolade, according to the Institute.

In the Institute's roof strength test for rollover protection, the roof of the Equus withstood a force equal to 4.87 times the car's weight. Vehicles with a strength-to-weight ratio of 4 or higher earn a good rating in the Institute's test. By comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight.

Hyundai said its Equus features Hyundai’s Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) system. VMS governs ESC, the electronic parking brake, smart cruise control, the collision warning sensor, and the seatbelt tensioning system for optimal safety. The seatbelt tensioning system in the Equus works through sensors, which detect critical driving situations and retract the seatbelts accordingly to prevent passenger movement. The Equus’ safety package also offers the company’s Lane Departure Warning System and driver’s knee airbags.

Other safety features include nine standard airbags (advanced dual front airbags, front and rear seat-mounted side-impact airbags, driver knee airbag, and roof-mounted side-curtain airbags), electronic active front head restraints with power controls, electronic seatbelt pretensioners and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), according to Hyundai.