Thatcham, Berkshire - The new Volvo XC60, due for release in South Africa towards the third quarter of 2018, has come out on top of the scoresheets in the latest round of Euro NCAP crash testing.
With an almost-perfect 98 percent in adult occupant protection and the highest all-round score of 2017 so far, it matched the performance of its bigger XC90 sibling.
“The passenger compartment of the XC60 remained stable in the frontal offset test,” commented the testers. “Dummy readings indicated good protection for all critical body areas of the passenger and of the knees and femurs of both the driver and passenger.”
Volvo’s new mid-sized SUV scored 87 percent for child occupant safety.
Maximum points
“The test showed showed that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sat in different positions,“ was the comment. “In the full-width rigid-barrier test, protection of both dummies was good except for the chest of the rear passenger, protection of which was rated as marginal.
“In both the side barrier test and the more severe side pole impact, protection of critical body areas was good and the XC60 scored maximum points. Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision.”
The XC60 scored 76 percent for pedestrian protection and 95 percent for safety assistance equipment, with the testers commenting: “The standard-fit autonomous emergency braking system scored maximum points in tests of its functionality at the low-speeds typical of city driving, with collisions avoided at all test speeds.”
Other top performers in the latest round of testing were:
Volkswagen Polo
(Adult 96%, Child 85%, Pedestrian 76%, Safety Assist 59%)
Volkswagen T-Roc
(Adult 96%, Child 87%, Pedestrian 79%, Safety Assist 71%)
Citroen C3 Aircross
(Adult 85%, Child 82%, Pedestrian 64%, Safety Assist 60%)
Opel Crossland X
(Adult 85%, Child 84%, Pedestrian 62%, Safety Assist 57%).
Just for the record
Euro NCAP Frontal Impact takes place at 64 Km/h, 40 percent of the width of the car striking a deformable barrier.
In the Full Width test, 100 percent of the width of the car impacts a rigid barrier at 50 Km/h.
In the side impact, a mobile deformable barrier impacts the driver's door at 50 km/h.
In the pole test, the car tested is propelled sideways at 32 km/h into a rigid pole.