Good cars get stars, bad cars get scathing articles.
EuroNCAP’s getting its Christmas cheer on it seems, awarding the Audi Q3, the Peugeot 508, the Volvo S60 (and V60 estate), and BMW X5 full 5-star safety ratings, after all 4 cars scored remarkably well in the latest round of testing. This is of course in stark contrast to the report we carried last week, where it had been justifiably-harsh on the 1-star Jeep Wrangler and the 0-star Fiat Panda. Ouch.
“The Audi Q3, BMW X5, Peugeot 508, and Volvo S60/V60 have set the standard against which others are judged this time, and other manufacturers could do well to follow their example.” — Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General, EuroNCAP
Anyway. All but the BMW X5 managed to score above 90% for adult occupant protection, with the big German SUV rated at 89% due to a malfunctioning driver’s knee airbag. All cars scored in the 80th-percentile for child occupant protection, while pedestrian detection saw all cars manage in the mid 70th-percentile.
Active safety assist is a big part of the latest safety standards and in this area, the Audi Q3 did exceptionally well, scoring an 85% rating from EuroNCAP.
“The standard-fit autonomous emergency braking system [in the Q3] performed well in tests of its functionality at low speeds, at which many whiplash injuries are caused. The AEB system is able to detect vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. In most test of these functionalities, the system performed well, with collisions avoided or their severity mitigated, even at night-time in the case of pedestrians.” — Statement, EuroNCAP
This is all great news as, with the BMW X5 the only currently-available model on our market (and the Volvo V60 unconfirmed), that means that all the new cars will be arriving on our shores with top safety ratings, which ANCAP will probably match given the implemented parity with EuroNCAP that took effect this year.
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