Top 10: Euro NCAP family car results
The European New Car Assessment Programme (or Euro NCAP for short) was launched in 1997 to independently test the safety and crashworthiness of new cars, initially awarding each car a maximum of five stars for adult occupant protection and four for pedestrian safety.
We’ve already taken a look at the results of ’90s superminis, so now’s the turn of that era’s family cars. These are the mid-range saloons and hatchbacks that pounded the motorways throughout the late ’90s and beyond, popular with family car buyers and company sales reps alike. So which ones were the safest according to Euro NCAP? Read on to find out…
By Paul Guinness, Contributor
Fri, 10 Jul 2015
The 1997 test of the Rover 600 wasn’t a great result for the British brand, with two stars awarded for pedestrian safety but a mere 1.5 for adult occupant protection. In the front impact test the driver’s screen pillar was pushed back by 215mm, while the cabin ‘became structurally unstable and the driver’s door was severely damaged’. As for the side-impact test, Euro NCAP stated that ‘the driver ran a high risk of life-threatening chest and abdominal injuries’. It seems there was no hiding the age of the 600’s basic design when tested by Euro NCAP.
See the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVaYwbU8xzk
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