DETROIT, Feb 29 (Reuters) - Five of six new midsize cars fared badly in new bumper-crash tests conducted by a U.S. insurance industry group, including two that needed nearly $4,000 in repairs after four collisions at 5 miles per hour.

"These midsize models range from inexpensive to luxury, but all but one of them share bumpers that don't bump," Adrian Lund of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said in a statement accompanying the test results.

None of the cars tested by the institute was worthy of its highest rating. But the Galant from Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (Tokyo:7211.T - News) received an "acceptable," the second-highest score. It sustained total damages of $2,099 in the four tests and an average of just $525 per test.

The tests are designed to simulate fender benders in slow-moving traffic. Vehicles are crashed both front and rear into flat barriers, plus front into an angle barrier and rear into a pole.

The worst scores in the tests went to the all-new Chevrolet Malibu from General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - News) and the Acura TSX from the luxury division of Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (Tokyo:7267.T - News).

The Malibu racked up a total of $3,807 in damages in the four tests and an average of $952 per test, the report said.

It said the Acura TSX required $3,957 in repairs after the four tests, meanwhile, and had the highest average per test at $989 in damages.

Both cars earned "poor" low-speed crash ratings, the worst possible, and the institute said GM was re-engineering the Malibu's bumpers because of the result.

Models deserving of just "marginal" ratings in the tests, all from the 2004 model year, included the Acura TL, the Maxima from Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (Tokyo:7210.T - News) and the Verona from Suzuki Motor Corp. (Tokyo:7269.T - News).

"Poor bumper design hits consumers in their pocketbooks," Lund said.

"A lot of the damage to these cars could have been avoided if the bumpers had been designed to absorb the energy of a minor impact."

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