| Front and side impact rating |
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Pedestrian test rating |
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Test Scores: Front 8(50%) Side 11(61%) Overall 19(56%)
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The
Passat was the only car tested in left-hand-drive form.
Like all manufacturers, Volkswagen is responsible for
ensuring that occupant safety provided by left- and
right-hand-drive models is similar. Euro NCAP has no
reason to believe that this is not so for the Passat. In
the frontal test, the car was lined up so that the
driver's side directly hit the deformable barrier, as did
all other cars in this test programme. The Passat met
coming 1998 side-impact legislation for new models. It
performed well in the frontal impact, too, although stiff
structures in the lower facia area posed a hazard to the
driver's knees, thighs and pelvis. |
Impact
Protection
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| Driver
Front Impact |
Passenger
Front Impact |
Driver
Side Impact |
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Frontal
Impact
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The
driver's screen pillar was pushed backwards by 68mm
(2.7in). The passenger compartment retained its structural
integrity and remained stable. The driver's door was found
to have opened during the test and could be pulled further
open as normal. The passenger's door could be opened
normally. The steering wheel was pushed backwards by 85mm
(3.3in) and upwards by 15mm (0.6in). There was some
footwell intrusion: the brake pedal was pushed rearwards
by 91mm (3.6in).
Protection for the driver's head was down-rated to
'adequate' because of instability of the contact on the
airbag. Neck protection was good, however, and the
restraint system kept the driver's chest away from the
steering wheel. Forces transmitted by the seat belt to the
chest were within acceptable limits, there was no
detectable contact between the driver and the steering
wheel, and the passenger compartment remained structurally
stable, all of which contributed to good chest protection.
The driver's left knee struck the oddments bin. Protection
for his knee, thigh and pelvis was down-rated: if that
knee had been in a slightly different position
horizontally at impact, it could have hit the steering
column bracket. A slightly different position vertically
could have led to contact with the steering lock and
adjuster. If the knee had penetrated further, the lock and
adjuster could also have caused more damage. The driver's
right knee hit a flexible plastic surround beneath the
steering column. This then compressed the cladding around
the column until it 'bottomed' out against the column
itself. Protection of the knee, thigh and pelvis was
down-rated because a slightly higher knee position would
have led to contact with the steering lock and adjuster
bracket. If that knee had penetrated slightly further, the
column mounting bracket could have been hit. The column
mount bolts and the column adjuster lever could have
produced localised damage to the knee. Protection for the
left lower leg was rated as 'poor' and for the right lower
leg, 'weak'. There was limited intrusion into the
footwell, and protection for the feet and ankles was rated
as 'good'.
Protection for the passenger was generally good, although
forces transmitted by the seat belt presented a risk of
chest injury. His left knee, thigh and pelvis were also at
some risk of injury. Results obtained from the dummy were
not modified on the basis of damage to the car. |
Side
Impact
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new Passat performed well in the side-impact test
generally, meeting the legislation applicable to new
models from next year, but protection for the driver's
abdomen was rated only as 'weak'. Head protection was
'good', though protection for his chest and pelvis was
assessed as 'adequate'. |
Child
Restraint
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Pedestrian
Protection
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Child
head impact
Four of the six test locations met proposed legislation:
above a support bracket for the coolant reservoir, above
the rear of the engine cover and above a bonnet
strengthener and a crease-line. One point performed better
than the group average, one worse.
Upper leg impact
None of the three tests met proposed legislation. Two of
the tests on the bonnet leading edge were better than
average; one was worse.
Adult head impact
None of the tests met proposed legislation. Five points
were better than average: these included a point over the
bonnet strengthener, one above the brake fluid reservoir
and one at the windscreen wiper spindle.
Leg impact
None of the three tests met the requirements. None of the
tests on the bumper was better than average: all three
were worse. |
Model
history and safety equipment
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new Passat was introduced in October 1996. The 1997 model
year car features anti-lock brakes, door beams, driver and
front passenger airbags, height-adjustable front belts
with pre-tensioners and load limiters as standard. A
three-point rear centre belt with additional head
restraint is optional and was not fitted. Side airbags are
standard in some European countries and options in others,
and were disconnected on the test car. |
| Make,
model and hand of drive |
Volkswagen
Passat 1.6L LHD |
| Body
type |
4-door
saloon |
| Model
year |
1997 |
| Kerb
weight |
1269
kg |
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