The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released crash test results for four vehicles.

The 2004 models of the midsize Volvo S40, the BMW 5-Series luxury sedan and the Nissan Titan pickup all received the institute's highest safety rating.

The popular Ford Escape sport utility vehicle only earned the second-highest rating -- acceptable.

The institute tested each vehicle by ramming the driver's side into a barrier from the front of the vehicle at 40 mph.

The highest rating of good means a driver wearing a seat belt probably could walk away from a similar crash with minor injuries.

The acceptable rating means there is the possibility of a serious injury.

Even with the good rating, the Escape "still lags behind many other small SUVs that earn good ratings in the Institute's frontal crash test," Chief Operating Officer Adrian Lund said.

He said the Volvo is an example of how a vehicle should perform.

The Titan is the second large pickup -- along with the Ford F-150 -- to earn a "best pick" honor.

In previous testing, the Escape -- which is a twin of the Mazda Tribute -- had received a rating of marginal.

A Ford spokesman said next year's 2005 Escape has a stiffer outer structure that helped the SUV earn the government's highest safety rating in a side crash test.

Full IIHS Report