The new Golf has received a top five star rating by the European consumer protection organisation Euro NCAP. It also won the award for innovations in the area of integral safety at the highly esteemed “Euro NCAP Advanced Awards”. Along with Lane Assist and Front Assist, the key systems proactive occupant protection and the standard multicollision brake were recognised as pioneering safety innovations. This is further confirmation of the excellent competitive position of the Golf in its class.
The overall safety package of the new Golf – consisting of occupant protection, child protection, pedestrian protection and driver assistance systems – was recognised by the European consumer protection organisation Euro NCAP for its top results. Once again, in its seventh generation, the Golf is confirming its top position, which it has held in Europe for decades now.
Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management for Research and Development, Volkswagen Brand, had this to say: “We are very pleased that our new Golf was once again successful in fulfilling the challenging requirements of the Euro NCAP and earned its top rating. We are especially proud of the no less than four Euro NCAP awards for excellent safety innovations with which the new Golf was recognised. But this success is not just coincidental, because it reflects our corporate philosophy: safety must be made affordable for everyone. Right from the start, we worked intensively with our engineers to develop a safety package whose scope is so far unique in the compact class.” He continues: “These results once again confirm that we are on the right path. We will systematically continue this development work into the future with the best interests of our customers in mind.”
The new Golf was awarded top ratings for its occupant protection. Evaluated here were frontal and side impact tests, a pole side impact test and what is known as the whiplash test, in which loads to the cervical spine are measured in a rear end collision. Not only adults, but children too can feel safe in the new Golf. This was verified in tests, some of which utilised dummies sized to represent 18 month old and three year old children. The new Golf also impressed testers with its pedestrian protection capabilities.
Supplemental to its excellent occupant protection, the seventh generation Golf also offers a broad array of driver assistance systems. In addition to the standard multicollision brake and the optional proactive occupant protection system, the safety package can be further customised and extended with the optional adaptive cruise control, Front Assist with City Emergency Braking, fatigue detection and the Lane Assist lane-keeping assistant. This makes a total of seven driver assistance systems that are offered in the new Golf and which significantly improve vehicle safety.
The multicollision brake, which ADAC has already recognised with the “Yellow Angel” innovation award, automatically brakes the vehicle after a severe collision to reduce residual kinetic energy. The goal here is to either prevent a secondary collision altogether or at least significantly reduce the speed at impact. Accident statistics show that around one-fourth of all accidents involve these dreaded secondary collisions. They are especially hazardous, because occupants no longer have the protective effects of airbags and seatbelt tensioners. As is the case in all assistance systems from Volkswagen, the driver can choose to override the multicollision brake at any time.
Volkswagen transferred the proactive occupant protection system as well as the fatigue detection function to the Golf from the premium class. The former detects, in combination with other vehicle dynamic parameters, especially critical driving situations and reacts with either ESC interventions or full braking. In case of a subsequent collision, it automatically pretensions the safety belts of the driver and front passenger to ensure the best possible occupant protection by the airbag and belt system. In case of impending skidding accidents, the system closes the side windows to just small openings and closes the sliding sunroof so that safety systems such as the head and side airbags can offer optimal support and the best possible effectiveness. As soon as the hazardous situation has ended, the safety belt is untensioned. This is one way in which Volkswagen fulfils its corporate standard for providing advanced safety technology that must be attainable for a broad base of buyers.
Since its debut in March 1974, over 29 million Golf cars have been sold worldwide, and the Golf has influenced automotive history more than nearly any other vehicle with its timeless and unmistakable design. It even defined a vehicle class that was named after it. Together with its also very successful and popular derivatives, e.g. the Cabriolet and the Estate, the Golf is one of the world’s most successful vehicles.
