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Five stars for the safest Polo ever

Five stars for the safest Polo ever

It's been a great week for the new Polo: after the release of the first official photos of the three-door model, and news of a top rating in What Car?'s supermini megatest, comes news that the new Polo has been subjected to the more stringent Euro NCAP crash tests and received the best possible score of five stars.

The new Polo's safety package includes optimised body structure, a highly effective seatbelt and airbag combination and driver-assist systems, resulting in the safest compact car in the world.

In the most recent tests performed by the European New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), the Polo was subjected to a controlled collision with a barrier at a speed of 64km/h (40mph), whereby the passenger cell remained virtually undamaged. The crash dummies testify to the Polo's high scores in the most important categories: occupant protection and child safety. The structurally rigid body, among other things, contributes to this result.

The extreme rigidity of the new Polo was achieved through, among other things, the use of high-strength and ultra high-strength steels in the side structures and footwell. The extremely rigid bumper cross-member in front ensures that impact forces are distributed.

But pedestrian safety is just as important as occupant safety. The requirements for pedestrian safety were already integrated into the developmental work during the design phase of the new Polo. Consequently, the “harp”, as the newly designed sheet metal behind the front bumper cover is called, provides the deformation space necessary to minimise the severity of leg injuries.

Electronic safety and assistance systems which prevent accidents or avoid severe injuries are also evaluated in the new Euro NCAP procedure. One of the most important assistance systems, the electronic stabilisation programme ESP, is standard in the Polo. Additional standard equipment such as a highly effective seatbelt and airbag combination, as well as front head restraints that counteract whiplash, further improves safety.