The latest car to have undergone the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) crash tests is the Volkswagen Golf 7. The hatch managed to receive the Top Safety Pick Plus title, but only when fitted with the optional Forward Collision Warning System.
In order for a vehicle to achieve this, the car must receive a “good” rating in the IIHS’s moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. Moreover, it has to receive a “good” or “acceptable” rating in the most difficult test of them all, the small overlap.
Speaking of the small overlap crash test, the clip below is a bit painful to watch, as it shows a brand new Golf 7 GTI going through the small overlap test.
As for the part with the aforementioned optional feature, the range-wide standard systems includes Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and six airbags. Only the SE and SEL models can be ordered with the optional Driver Assistance Package including Forward Collision Warning, as well as front and rear Park Distance Control systems.
The Golf GTI is already in showrooms across the US, while the normal Golf is set to be introduced on the market in August. VW wants to make sure its hatch enjoys a nice introduction on the sedan-loving US market, so the schedule is easy to understand.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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