Earlier this week, we reported that the new Volkswagen Arteon had scored a full five stars in its Euro NCAP crash-test, with the safety authority declaring it the “highest-scoring executive vehicle for pedestrian protection to date”.
The new fastback model (likely to launch in South Africa in 2018) “performed well in all areas of assessment”, according to Euro NCAP, which tested the 2,0-litre TDI 110 kW variant in left-hand drive.
So, what’s behind its strong performance in Euro NCAP’s increasingly stringent tests? Well, the overall rating is aggregated from the Arteon’s results in four sub-sections, and it managed high scores in all four.
The newcomer, for instance, achieved a score of 96% for adult occupant protection and 85% for child occupant protection, thanks to the optimised vehicle body structures and an effective safety belt, seat and airbag combination.
The 85% rating in the pedestrian protection category, meanwhile, was achieved largely thanks to the combination of an emergency braking function and what VW calls the “high passive potential for safeguarding unprotected road users”. The model features an “active” bonnet that Euro NCAP reported “operated robustly for a variety of pedestrian statures and over a wide range of speeds”.
Finally, in the safety assist category, the Arteon managed 82%, thanks to standard features such as seatbelt fastening reminders for all seats, cruise control, a front assist area monitoring system (with emergency braking function) and a lane-keeping system.
Watch the Arteon crash-test below…
