Five safety stars for local Golf

Volkswagen’s seventh-generation Golf will come with a five-star Australian crash safety rating when it goes on sale later this week.

Announced by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) today, the maximum collision performance score matches the five-star result of the outgoing model and every Golf since the Mark V in 2005.

Confirmation of a local five-star safety rating by ANCAP -- which endorsed Euro NCAP’s test of a left-hand drive 1.2-litre petrol Golf -- applies only to petrol models sold here, but Volkswagen says diesel versions will achieve the same result.

The Golf 7’s maximum ANCAP score leaves the Eos coupe-convertible as the only Volkswagen model not to attract the accolade.

ANCAP Chairman Lauchlan McIntosh praised Volkswagen and the Golf, which was among the first small cars to achieve a five-star Australian safety rating, for their safety credentials.

“Almost all current Volkswagen passenger vehicles rated by ANCAP hold the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating,” he said. “For commercial buyers, the Amarok also scores top marks.

McIntosh said the new Golf’s wide range of standard safety assist technologies (SAT) positioned it ahead of current safety requirements, making it one of the safety leaders in Australia’s largest single vehicle sales sector, the small car segment.

“In addition to performing very well in each of the physical crash tests conducted on the Golf, this next-generation model carries Golf forward with advanced safety technologies including radar-based adaptive cruise control (ACC), city emergency braking (or AEB), as well as a multi-collision braking system.”

The multi-collision braking system, which prevents a vehicle from rolling after a collision, will be standard across the entire Golf 7 range, along with seven airbags – including twin front, front-side, side curtain and driver's knee bags – plus electronic stability/traction control and anti-lock brakes.

However, ACC and AEB – which is standard on Volkswagen’s smallest model, the up! -- will be part of an optional driver assistance package.

The Golf 7 scored a commendable 35.92 points out of 37 overall, including a maximum 16 points in the side impact test, 15.92 out of 16 points in the frontal offset crash test and two out of two in the pole test.

However, its pedestrian protection was deemed only “acceptable” after the front bumper scored maximum points for its protection of pedestrians' leg but “the front edge of the bonnet showed a marginal level of protection in all areas tested”.

“Protection was good in most areas of the bonnet likely to be struck by the head of a child but the protection offered to the head of an adult was predominantly poor or marginal,” said ANCAP.

Volkswagen Group Australia’s Golf 7 line-up is expected to comprise 90 TSI and 103 TSI variants powered by a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine matched with six-speed manual and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions, plus a 2.0-litre diesel 110 TDI model with a six-speed auto.

Pricing will be announced this Wednesday (April 17) and stand by for our first Australian drive report soon after.

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