VW Golf is 'safest car' of 2009

For the first time ever, the EuroNCAP Institute in Brussels compiled all of its crash test results for the year 2009 and named the safest car of the year. The VW Golf won out against the competition with a total of 103 points.

The Golf had already attained a five-star EuroNCAP rating in 2008. Initially, this testing programme − conducted since 1997 − only assessed frontal crashes, side crashes and pedestrian protection. After stricter criteria were introduced at the beginning of 2009, the Golf was re-tested, and it performed impressively in all four categories: occupant protection of adults, protection of children, pedestrian protection and supporting safety and driver assistance systems. The bestseller from Wolfsburg once again attained the coveted five star rating with the top score of 103 points, earning it the title of “Safest Car of 2009”. In total, 33 cars were tested last year under the new, stricter and more extensive EuroNCAP crash testing procedure.

Electronic safety and assistance systems that help prevent accidents and serious injuries are now also incorporated in the rating of the new, stricter assessment method. The Golf offers maximum safety with standard safety features that include ESP with counter-steer assist, ABS with braking assistance, anti-slip regulation (ASR), electronic differential lock (EDS), engine drag torque control (MSR), trailer stabilisation, Isofix mounting brackets for two child seats on the rear bench as well as airbags for driver and front passenger with passenger-side deactivation, including knee airbag for the driver and a head airbag system for front and rear passengers with side airbags.

The Golf not only fulfils European safety standards. In 2008, the compact car earned the prestigious title of “Top Safety Pick” − awarded by the independent US safety institute “Insurance Institute for Highway Safety” (IIHS). In this evaluation, vehicles were tested in a frontal crash at 40 mph (64 km/h) and in a side crash at 31 mph (50 km/h) with a movable barrier shaped like the front end of an SUV. In addition, seat behaviour was studied in a rear-end crash.