Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced today that the 2016 Golf, Golf GTI, Golf R and Golf SportWagen four-door models have earned a 5-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which runs the government’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), and has provided consumers with vehicle safety information since 1978. These Golf family models join the Passat, Jetta, Beetle coupe and their two-door brethren as 2016 Volkswagen models that have an overall 5-Star Rating.
NHTSA’s NCAP provides front, side, and rollover crash test ratings, all aimed at helping consumers in making their vehicle purchasing decisions. The rating results are relayed to consumers using an easily recognizable star rating system from one to five, with five being the best a vehicle can achieve.
“Volkswagen is delighted that the Golf family models have earned the highest 5-star overall crash test rating from the government—providing further validation that Volkswagen produces some of the safest vehicles in the industry,” said Joerg Sommer, Vice President Product Marketing and Strategy, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “Our vehicles have numerous safety and driver assistance technologies that work to help prevent collisions, and help protect occupants when an accident is unavoidable.”
In addition to overall 5-star ratings from NHTSA, four Volkswagen models also earn TOP SAFETY PICK+ ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The 2016 Volkswagen Golf 4-door (including the Golf SportWagen variant), Golf GTI 4-door, Jetta and Passat models have been awarded 2016 TOP SAFETY PICK+ ratings by IIHS when equipped with the optional Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking (Front Assist) system.
The IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award is given to vehicles that have met TOP SAFETY PICK criteria—good ratings in the moderate overlap front, small overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint tests—and have earned an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention system performance.
IIHS launched its front crash prevention rating program in 2013 to help consumers sort through a maze of technologies and zero in on the most effective systems. Under a three-tier rating program, models with optional or standard front crash prevention systems are rated as superior, advanced or basic. Ratings are determined by whether the vehicles have available front crash prevention systems, and, if so, how it performs in 12 and 25 mph autonomous emergency braking and forward collision warning tests. To assess the performance, points are awarded based on the braking and warning performance in the tests. Vehicles that have a warning system only earn a basic rating, provided the system meets National Highway Traffic Safety Administration performance criteria.