VW has again sent the Golf to the EuroNCAP crash test, although the model already has a five-star rating in the class book. Why? At the first test in 2019, the conditions were even less severe. What was five stars back then would only have been four by today’s standards.
Before the current VW Golf, the eighth generation, came onto the market, the Wolfsburg-based company pushed the gas so hard when completing the series that they even accepted problems. Because the software in particular was not as far as it would have been planned. But a later start of sales would have meant that it would only have been enough for four stars. And that would have been a total meltdown for the brand’s image. So it’s better to put up with a few dissatisfied customers and widespread media scolding. And touch up when the time comes. That’s exactly what happened now. Under the title “Safety first: Volkswagen optimizes the successful Golf model”, Wolfsburg now announces that the Golf has “another five stars” and that the center airbag for the front seats is now standard. “The Golf continues to be one of the best in its class.” In the event of a side collision, the center airbag helps to prevent possible head contact between the people in the first row of seats. An additional standard lap belt tensioner for the front row of seats increases safety even further. The successful compact model scored 88 percent of the possible rating points for “occupant protection for adults”. The Golf scored 87 percent for “protection for children”. This assessment is based on three important aspects: in addition to the protection provided by child restraint systems, for example, in the event of a frontal or side impact, there are also the options for securely attaching child seats of different sizes and the equipment that a vehicle offers for transporting children, in focus. In the area of ”assistance systems”, the Golf scored 79 percent of the possible rating points. Among other things, the autonomous emergency braking system (AEB) performed well in tests for reacting to other vehicles. The driver warning system (attention assistant) and the turning assistant, both of which are part of the standard equipment, also had a positive effect on the result. The result for pedestrian protection is also good: the recognition of pedestrians by cyclists achieved 74 percent. The VW is in the current test round of Euro NCAP Golf 8 at the front, but does not shine. When it comes to occupant protection, he even has to let himself be left behind by the Chinese representative BYD Atto 3, which scores 91 percent. With 94 percent, even the VW Polo was better, as was the Chinese Stromer Ora Funky Cat with 92 percent. The direct rival Opel Astra is outclassed: The Rüsselsheimer has only 80 percent in occupant protection and only has four stars.
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