The Ford Fiesta,Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Volkswagen Golf Mk7 have earned special praise from vehicle safety authority Euro NCAP following the latest round of crash testing.
The trio are among a list of 14 new and updated models to be awarded the maximum Euro NCAP safety rating,joining the Fiat 500L,Ford Kuga,Hyundai Santa Fe,Mitsubishi Outlander,Opel Mokka,Range Rover,Seat Leon and Toledo,Skoda Rapid,Subaru Forester and the Volvo V60 Plug-In Hybrid.
The Volkswagen Golf(pictured above)was commended for its inclusion of four advanced driver assistance technologies–Front Assist,Lane Assist,Proactive Occupant Protection and Multi-collision Brake–helping it score highly in the Safety Assist testing criterion.
Euro NCAP did express its disappointment in the Golf's lack of a standard rear seatbelt reminder system,however;a feature that is included in many other new cars.
The Mercedes-Benz A-Class(pictured top)features three driver assist systems that have previously been awarded by Euro NCAP–Attention Assist,Collision Prevention Assist and Pre-Safe–while the Ford Fiesta was praised for its inclusion of MyKey technology,which allows parents to program maximum speed limits,audio volume limits and more-insistent seatbelt reminder warnings into a set of keys used by their children.
The only car to miss out on the maximum rating in the latest testing round was the Dacia Lodgy(pictured above),a basic people-mover from the budget Romanian manufacturer.
Euro NCAP was particularly critical of the Lodgy's 77 per cent score in the Child Protection criterion,describing it as"unexceptional"for a self-proclaimed family vehicle.
"It is disappointing to see the Lodgy do badly in our tests,especially coming just a week after the Sandero,branded a Renault in South America,was given a poor one-star rating by Latin NCAP,"Euro NCAP secretary general Michiel van Ratingen said.
"The Lodgy is a budget vehicle and customers will accept compromises in comfort and performance,but not safety.Euro NCAP believes that occupants'safety should be paramount,regardless of how much they pay for their vehicle."
The Lodgy,Sandero,and all other Dacia vehicles are not available in Australia.
