Opel
Astra
| Front and side impact rating |
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Pedestrian test rating |
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Test Scores: Front 13(81%) Side 12(67%) Overall 25(74%) Pedestrian 7(19%)
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The
Opel Astra did well enough to earn four stars but there is
scope to improve its side-impact protection. In this part
of the test a rear door on the struck side came open and
so the Astra would not have passed new regulations
governing models launched after October 1998. It performed
well in the front impact, providing unusually good
protection for the driver’s legs. The child restraints
were of an Opel design which Protection for pedestrians
was poor, earning only a single star. |
Impact
Protection
|
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 |
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| Driver
Front Impact |
Passenger
Front Impact |
Driver
Side Impact |
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Frontal
Impact
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| The
car’s structure remained stable and the driver’s
airbag proved effective. The driver’s knees were well
protected and the footwell kept his feet from harm. The
impact caused little intrusion into that area and the
pedals partly came away from their pivots to limit the
risk of feet and ankle injuries. |
Side
Impact
|
|
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| The
driver’s head and chest were well protected but his
abdomen and pelvis were exposed to increased injury risks.
The manufacturer has told Euro NCAP that it will modify
the Astra’s structure to address the problem. |
Child
Restraint
|
|
|
| A
passenger airbag is standard so there is a real danger of
death for any child in a rear-facing child restraint in
the front. We believe that Opel should take this risk more
seriously and provide better permanent warnings. The
fixings for the one-and-a-half-year-old’s
rearward-facing restraint were not fully compatible with
the car’s rear belts, even though it was an Opel-
branded item. An optional fixing system (Opelfix) overcame
the problem. Unusually this seat also used a top tether to
control its movement. Both restraints stopped their
occupants from hitting the car’s interior in the frontal
impact. However, the three-year-old’s head was not fully
protected in the side impact. |
Pedestrian
Protection
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|
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| The
Astra’s front is very stiff and unforgiving and more
than half of the places where a pedestrian’s head might
strike following a crash were likely to cause injury. This
area requires major improvement. |
Model
history and safety equipment
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| The
latest Astra was launched in April 1998. Twin front and
side airbags, belt pre-tensioners and power steering are
fitted to all cars sold in the EU. 1999 model-year
vehicles have been modified to improve side-impact crash
safety (see above for VINs of cars affected). |
| Make,
model and hand of drive |
Opel
Astra |
| Body
type |
5-door
hatchback |
| Model
year |
1999 |
| Kerb
weight |
1100
kg |
| VIN
and date when rating applies |
F48X8-113816
/ F48X5-222800 / F48X2-233559 / F48X6-127200 |
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