Jaguar X rated

The 2004 Jaguar X-Type got the worst rating of any midsize saloon in side-impact crash tests conducted by the US insurance industry.

The X-Type fared worse than some less expensive cars, according to test results released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The institute’s test measures the impact on dummies in the front and back seats of a sedan that is struck in the side by a sport utility vehicle travelling 31 mph. The government’s test mimics a side-impact crash involving two cars.

Adrian Lund, the institute’s chief operating officer, said the Jaguar’s side air bags protected the dummies’ heads, but the side of the vehicle was crushed and could have caused severe injuries to the driver’s torso.

Both the 2005 Mitsubishi Galant and the 2004 Saab 9-3 earned the institute’s highest rating, along with the 2004 Lexus ES 330 and the 2004 Acura TL.

The 2004 Saab 9-5, 2005 Mercedes C class and 2005 Volvo S40 earned the institute’s second-highest rating, ”acceptable.”

The Saab 9-3 and the Toyota RAV4, a small 4X4, are the only vehicles to earn the institute’s best pick designation on both side-impact and front-crash tests, Lund said.