www.womanthismonth.com June 2017 FEATURE | on the road 45 rated vehicles on the road right now are the BMW 5 Series, Audi Q5, Land Rover Discovery, Toyota C-HR, Volvo’s S90 and V90. Unsurprisingly, they all scored top marks. Launched late last year, the seventhgeneration BMW 5 Series continues its successful track record in Euro NCAP’s Executive Car segment. The vehicle showed good all-round performance in crash protection and avoidance tests thanks to its new platform, body and updated safety features. Track tests demonstrated that the autonomous braking system can effectively assist the driver in avoiding or mitigating critical rear-end crashes with other cars and pedestrians. With an 81 per cent score, the 5-series impressed in pedestrian safety through its standard-fit ‘Person Warning’ system and active bonnet. The new Q5’s top score confirms that Audi’s best-selling model is also among the safest automobiles in its class. The model showed off its strengths in every aspect of the assessment programme. Also contributing to the SUV’s five-star rating were the driver assistance systems, which come as standard and include pre sense city; an emergency braking system that reacts to vehicles up ahead of the car and to pedestrians. The other SUV that came out on top was the Land Rover Discovery. The passenger compartment of the Discovery remained stable in the frontal offset test. Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs for both the driver and passenger. Land Rover Discovery showed that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those seated in different positions. The S90 mid-sized sedan and its station wagon sibling, the V90, both did well during the testing. Adult occupant protection is rated 95 per cent, whereas child occupant protect is a rather impressive 80 per cent. As for pedestrian protection and safety assist, the two Volvos boast 76 and 93 per cent ratings respectively. As standard, the S90 and V90 are equipped with safety features that include an active hood, both low- and high-speed autonomous emergency braking systems, lane assist, and a pedestrian detection system designed to mitigate or lessen the effects of a crash. The Toyota C-HR achieved an excellent 95 per cent score for overall adult occupant protection; 77 per cent for child occupants; 76 per cent for pedestrian protection performance; and 78 per cent for safety assist performance. Euro NCAP also commended the car for its good result in the frontal offset test and for achieving maximum points in both the side barrier test and more severe side pole impact. This crash test performance reflects the fundamental strength of the C-HR’s body, which features strategic reinforcements and widespread use of high-strength steels to absorb and channel impact forces away from the cabin. So, you’re now well versed on the safest models on the road today. But remember that even the safest car in the world is no substitute for safe driving.
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