EuroNCAP has broken new ground by compiling all of its 2009 crash test results to name the Volkswagen Golf as its ‘Safest Car of 2009’.
Some 33 cars were tested last year under EuroNCAP’s stricter and more extensive test procedures with the Golf achieving the top score of 103 points on the way to its five-star rating.
Electronic safety and assistance systems, which prevent accidents and reduce injuries, are now incorporated in the rating system and the Golf weighed-in with its standard ESP with counter-steer assist, ABS anti-lock brakes, anti-slip regulation (ASR), electronic differential lock (EDS), engine drag torque control (MSR) and multiple airbags.
In 2008, the Golf was awarded a ‘Top Safety Pick’ by the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) which uses a different crash test regime including a 50km/h side impact test into a barrier shaped like the front end of an SUV.
