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Beetle boasts best bumper
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April 28, 1998: 3:07 p.m. ET
New VW sustains less damage in slow crash test than any other small car
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DETROIT (CNN) -- The new Volkswagen Beetle sustained the least damage of any small car in a 5-mph crash test conducted for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
According to Brian O'Neill, president of the IIHS, the Beetle sustained $134 in damage to its bumpers after four tests.
The next-best performance was by the Saturn SL2, sustaining $656 in total damage. The Hyundai Elantra performed the worst of the 12 models tested, with $3,042 in damage.
The Beetle's performance was the best in a slow-speed test since that of the 1981 Ford Escort, which sustained no damage in any of the four 5-mph tests.
O'Neill told CNN the 5-mph test is significant because it shows that the Beetle will sustain little damage in the kind of fender bender that is common in urban areas, saving motorists on repair and insurance costs.
Albert King, a crash-test expert at Wayne State University, said the reason the Beetle did so well is that its bumpers contain energy filters, which work on the same principle as shock absorbers.
He said, however, that strong bumpers don't always translate into increased safety for a vehicle's occupants.
The Insurance Institute also carried out crash tests at 40 mph and will release those results next week.
Both O'Neill and King cautioned that performance in the slow-speed test is not a predictor of results in the high-speed test. 
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