Both the new Mini Countryman and Audi Q2 are recent entrants to the South African market. How do these new crossovers fare in terms of safety? Euro NCAP investigates…
First up, the Mini:
After being subjected to the Euro NCAP’s battery of crash tests and collision avoidance assessments the Mini Countryman emerged with a five-star safety rating; incorporating adult occupant protection (90%), child protection (80%) and pedestrian protection (64%).
The test vehicle was fitted with auto emergency breaking (AEB), a standard feature across the range in Europe. Pedestrian detection is optional and was thus not considered for this test.
Euro NCAP secretary general Michiel van Ratingen says, “We hope to see as fast an adoption of AEB systems that detect cyclists when tests of those systems form part of the rating next year, as AEB is playing an increasingly important role in holistic vehicle crash test evaluations.”
Next, the Audi:
The Audi Q2 crossover also received optimal (5-star) crash test scores, including 93% for adult occupant protection, 86% for child protection and 70% for pedestrian protection. The Q2 also received praise for having AEB as standard in most markets.
It should be noted, however, that AEB forms part of optional additional safety packages on both the Countryman and Q2 in South Africa.
