Euro NCAP, the official body that assesses the safety of new cars, has revealed its class-leading cars of 2013.
A total of 33 cars, from seven categories, were destructively tested in 2013. Each car was examined and ranked for its adult, child and pedestrian protection, and its safety-assistance systems.
The new Qoros 3 saloon, the first model from the Chinese manufacturer, was the best performer in crash testing in 2013. It was also the first car from a Chinese manufacturer to attain the highest five-star rating.
Euro NCAP's crash-testing procedures have received numerous revisions and additions during the course of 2013, including the ability to reward manufacturers who design their cars to allow for the easy installation of the most popular child seats.
The organisation has also begun to test systems, such as radar-guided cruise control as part of the overall scoring process.
Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP secretary general, said: "Euro NCAP is continuously evolving in response to industry innovation and consumer expectation. It is very positive that the number of four and five stars is still significant, despite the ever-increasing requirements."
The cars, all of which attained a full five-star rating, secured the top positions by returning the highest overall scores.
The safest cars of 2013:
Supermini: Renault Zoe
Small family car: Qoros 3 saloon
Large family car: Lexus IS300h
Small MPV: Kia Carens/Ford Tourneo Connect
Small off-road 4x4: Jeep Cherokee
Executive: Maserati Ghibli
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I agree that EuroNCAP needs
I agree that EuroNCAP needs more tests, like the ones in America...EuroNCAP's tests seem a-bit 'easy' in comparison. Also, keep in mind that the cars eligible to be nominated as 'safest cars' were only those tested last year though; for example, for the large family car class, only the Lexus IS, Skoda Octavia and Mazda 6 were eligible. And actually the Skoda was the best in terms of occupant protection - the Lexus only took the crown for its superior pedestrian protection...
I also agree that it's more a case of 'normal' brands catching up with premium brands rather than premium brands being 'bad' or declining in engineering prowess. As mentioned, there was a time when cars from most manufacturers were horrendously unsafe, as shown in a Youtube video entitled '9 family cars battle it out'. Clearly, the Merc and Audi were the best, with the Honda probably being the worst (I mean, they couldn't even get the dummy out!)
It's also not easy to judge the entire situation based on just a few facts - you have to see the whole picture. In the small-overlap tests, for example, the C-Class didn't fare that well. However, it was probably one of the oldest cars tested, and actually in my eyes it kept its shape remarkably well. The main downsides were lack of curtain airbag deployment (easily fixable) and footwell intrusion (harder to solve without a complete redesign). On the other hand, the new M-Class achieved the top 'Good' rating. Mercedes vehicles also performed the best in the roll-over tests in all vehicle categories bar one when the tests were first introduced, where the E-Class was narrowly beaten by the Saab 9-5. Cars from other makers didn't all fare quite so well, because they were caught unawares.
Qoros will be outselling the
The Euroncap test isn't really complete
I brought a VW Golf MK6 on the back of its 97% 5 Star Euroncap rating, only to see VW Group products do quite badly in the IIHS's small overlap crash test. The results suggest to me that VW didn't bother considering this scenario when doing their crash engineering and now I feel doubtful about my cars ability to save me should I crash in the "wrong way".
I bet VW and all the other manufacturers, including premium marques like Mercedes, who also faired badly in this test would get their houses in order quick smart if the small overlap crash test and roll over tests were made standard at all international NCAP organisations.
Now I regret not getting a Volvo S60, which does well in all the crash test scenarios and spending a bit extra to tune the suspension.