Mix of European marques deliver five star safety

ANCAP SAFETY has today awarded five-star safety ratings to four models from established European brands – the Polestar 3, Volkswagen Tiguan, Volkswagen Multivan, and Audi A5.

From the family-focused SUV to the practical people mover; the stylish sedan to the electrified SUV, each of these models have achieved robust scores in each of the four key areas of ANCAP assessment.

Polestar 3

The all-electric Polestar 3 impressed with a very high level of protection offered to child occupants, scoring 94% – the second highest Child Occupant Protection score achieved to date. Assisting with this high score was a full four out of four points for the presence and effectiveness of its child presence detection system (CPD) which offers direct feedback to the driver if child occupants are left in an unattended vehicle.

The Polestar 3 achieved strong results for Adult Occupant Protection (90%) through its performance in each of the physical crash tests. It also offers a comprehensive range of active safety features including reverse autonomous emergency braking which operates in low-speed driving environments to reduce the risk of driveway and carpark collisions involving adult and child pedestrians.

The Polestar 3 is equipped with an active bonnet that deploys upon pedestrian impact to provide increased clearance from the engine bay. Testing showed Good protection over most of the bonnet and Adequate results on the windscreen, though Poor protection was observed near the windscreen pillars and along the front edge of the bonnet, and protection of the legs and pelvis was mixed.

“Polestar delivers a stand-out for child occupant protection – both in its crash impact protection and proactive features like its direct child presence detection system,” said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, Carla Hoorweg.

Volkswagen Tiguan

The all-new Volkswagen Tiguan – recently launched in Australia and on sale in New Zealand from July last year – continues the family SUV’s pedigree with a high and balanced level of safety performance.

Scoring 83%, 88%, 84% and 84% across each of the respective Adult, Child, Vulnerable Road User and Safety Assist categories of assessment, the five-seat Tiguan presents a good all-round package.

Driver and front passenger protection in the frontal offset crash test was very good, with mild concerns noted for the pelvis of the driver in the full-width frontal crash with a penalty applied for driver dummy ‘submarining’ – where the pelvis of the dummy slipping beneath the lap portion of the seatbelt.

“The Tiguan blends a solid crash structure with a well-rounded active safety offering – making it a dependable and practical choice for the safety-conscious family,” said Ms Hoorweg

Audi A5

Audi’s full-size sedan, the A5 achieved an 87% score for both Adult and Child Occupant Protection. Protection from injury in the range of destructive crash tests was good, with a slight increase in injury risk observed for the chest of the driver in the frontal impact and oblique side pole impact tests, and the rear passenger in the full-width frontal test.

Good levels of protection were observed for child occupants in the side and frontal crash tests, and a child presence detection system is fitted, although this system offers indirect functionality which is not as sophisticated as the direct monitoring CPD system fitted to the Polestar 3.

The collision avoidance systems fitted to the Audi A5 showed effective performance, with the most consistent performance seen in car-to-car autonomous emergency braking functionality.

Volkswagen Multivan

The Volkswagen Multivan people mover – released into the New Zealand market in mid-2022 and the Australian market earlier this year – offers dual frontal and side chest-protecting airbags as standard for first and second row occupants. Head-protecting curtain airbags are provided for all three seating rows. A centre airbag to minimise serious injury to front row occupants is also standard.

This airbag configuration, onboard restraints, and the structural design of the Multivan contributed to its score of 90% for Adult Occupant Protection and 88% score for Child Occupant Protection.

Strong scores were recorded in each of the physical crash tests, with a mix of Adequate and Good performance recorded for collision avoidance capability.

“For families and businesses transporting people regularly, the Multivan offers reassuring levels of protection throughout its three-rows as well as to those outside the vehicle,” said Ms Hoorweg

The Polestar 3, Volkswagen Tiguan and Audi A5 have been assessed against current test and rating criteria. The Volkswagen Multivan has been assessed against earlier 2020-2022 criteria.

Full details on the test performance of each model can be found on the ANCAP website.