| Front and side impact rating |
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|
|
|
 |
Pedestrian test rating |
 |
|
|
|
Test Scores: Front 9(56%) Side 16(89%) Overall 25(74%) Pedestrian 12(33%)
|
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The Audi A3
came as standard with side airbags and its structure performed
well in the frontal and side impacts. In the frontal impact,
further protection for the legs was the greatest priority, second
only to reducing the forces acting on the chest from the seat
belts. Pedestrian performance was patchy, though the A3 still
merited a two-star rating. Attention had clearly been paid to
providing protection for child and adult head impacts, but this
was marred by its very rigid front at pedestrian leg-level. |
Impact
Protection
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
| Driver
Front Impact |
Passenger
Front Impact |
Driver
Side Impact |
|
Frontal
Impact
|
|
|
| The
driver's door gave support to its aperture, which helped keep the
body shell structurally sound. After the impact, the cabin
remained stable and intrusion levels were relatively low. Both
airbags provided stable support for the front occupants' heads.
Seat belt loading on the chest could usefully be reduced,
particularly for the passenger. The column lock, adjuster lever
and bracket presented hazards in the knee impact area for the
driver. These could cause high loads on his upper legs and damage
to his knees. |
Side
Impact
|
|
|
| The
door is fitted with an aluminium beam that interlocks with the
sill, extending its effective height while the door's profile
against the occupant remains approximately vertical. The
seat-mounted side airbags providing padding for the driver's chest
and abdomen. After the impact, a gap of about 70mm remained
between the door and the airbag module. The pelvis was loaded by
the door bin behind which foam padding was fitted in the door. |
Child
Restraint
|
|
|
| The
rear seat belts have automatic locks for use with child
restraints, but no instruction label was provided on the belts.
The adult's belt buckle marginally interfered with the guide slot
on the recommended child restraint and prevented the belt from
being properly tightened. There was a pictogram on the centre door
pillar to warn against using a rearward facing child restraint
where a front passenger airbag is fitted. There was also a text
label on the windscreen but this gave no warning of the risk of
serious injury or death, and the label itself was easily removed. |
Pedestrian
Protection
|
|
|
| Audi
does not appear to have taken any steps to design the bumper or
bonnet leading edge to protect the legs of pedestrians. All test
sites performed poorly. Protection was better for the head where
only four of the 12 sites gave poor protection. |
Model
history and safety equipment
|
|
|
| Introduced
in October 1996. 1998-model A3s are fitted with twin frontal and
side airbags, anti-lock brakes, seat belt pre-tensioners and power
assisted steering. All items are standard on cars sold in EU. |
| Body
type |
3-door
hatchback |
| Model
year |
1997 |
| Kerb
weight |
1095
kg |
|
