The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) is one of the most stringent and well respected safety ratings agencies and they just released new ratings before the New Year.

It can be extremely difficult to earn a perfect crash test score with the NHTSA, but the 2012 Volkswagen Passat managed to do just that. The 2012 Passat passed the font, rollover and combined side-pole and barrier tests with flying colors.

The exciting thing about the Passat's performance is that some of the tests the NHTSA ran are brand new including the side poll test which was designed to simulate crashing into a tree or telephone pole at no more than 20 mph.

Despite the extremely strict testing procedures, the 2012 Passat managed to earn a perfect 5 star ratings. There are several other features that help make the Passat an amazing car including:   

- Named "2012Motor Trend Car of the Year"
- Painted with America's first waterless paint process
- QA'd at least 10 times during production
- Built, in Chattanooga, TN, at the first automotive manufacturing facility in the world to earn a Platinum LEED certification

To check out the latest 2012 Volkswagen Passat, come down to Lokey Volkswagen on 27850 U.S. Hwy 19N in Clearwater, FL. We can walk you through the car, setup a test drive and answer any questions you may have.