The Volkswagen Sharan Receives High Marks In Euro NCAP Safety Tests
The newest Volkswagen Sharan has been awarded a highly respectable four-star performance, after rigorous Euro NCAP crash and safety tests.
This may come as no surprise, as VW have a great history of achieving high marks in past reports.
The Volkswagen Sharan is a high-spec large Multi-Purpose Vehicle that more than comfortably seats seven, in three rows of seats.
Inside, there’s plenty of room for seven adults, with access to the rear seats now provided by sliding doors (with optional electric operation). A six-seat configuration is available, too – if extra room for storage is desired.
The 2019 VW Sharan comes equipped with active safety tech as standard, helping make this MPV a safe, spacious family choice.
The Euro NCAP
The European New Car Assessment Programme is an independent European car safety performance assessment programme. The Euro NCAP is designed to put a car through its paces, so that drivers may choose a car safe for them and their family, with assistance features that have been impartially tried and tested.
Focused on four key areas, the Euro NCAP report gathers an overall safety rating from various crash and safety tests performed on the car in question. The Volkswagen Sharan endured several crash scenarios - frontal, rear and side tests.
The VW Sharan survived thorough crash testing, using dummies linked-up to provide impact readings, for analysis on both Adult Occupant Protection and Child Occupant Protection respectively.
The Sharan also underwent Vulnerable Road User safety tests, such as detecting and stopping for unexpected pedestrians and cyclists.
In addition, the VW Sharan’s Safety Assistance features were assessed, such autobraking and lane support.
The Results: Adult Occupant Protection
The Volkswagen Sharan scored good marks during Adult Occupant Protection tests, gaining 89%.
The passenger compartment of the Sharan remained stable in a test of a front-end crash. Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs of both the driver and passenger.
The Volkswagen showcased how a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sitting in different positions. Protection of the chest was good for both driver and passenger.
In the side barrier crash test protection of all critical body areas was good - the Sharan scored maximum points in these tests. In the more severe side pole test, protection of the chest was adequate and that of other body areas was good. However, the side door of the Sharan became detached during the test and the score was penalised for the risk of occupant ejection.
All crash tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision.
The Sharan’s emergency braking (AEB) system performed well in tests of its functionality at the low speeds, typical of city driving at which many whiplash injuries occur.
Whiplash was avoided in almost all scenarios.
Child Occupant Protection
The Volkswagen Sharan achieved well in some of the Child Occupant protection tests, scoring a good 78%.
When the Sharan was involved in front and side collisions, protection of both the 6 and 10-year old dummies was good, looking after their critical areas – the 6-year old dummy faired better protected during these tests.
For families, the VW Sharan is designed to accommodate universal child restraint systems, and the front passenger airbag may be disabled when a rearward-facing child restraint is put in that seating position.
Vulnerable Road User Protection
It was found that the VW Sharan achieved quite well in the Vulnerable Road User safety tests.
If a pedestrian was to be hit, the Sharan offered good protection to the head, over some of the surface of the bonnet. The bumper also serves a good purpose, offering good protection to the legs of a pedestrian if struck.
The Sharan’s Smart Brake Support system was also able to detect Vulnerable Road Users in the form of cyclists and other similar small vehicles – the Volkswagen identified these and reacted accordingly.
The Smart Brake system performed well as in some scenarios, accidents were subsequently avoided or eased so the impact was not as damaging.
Safety Assistance
The safety features included in the Sharan scored a good 62% and the NCAP testing looked at the following:
- Lane Assist
- Speed Assistant System
- Smart Brake Support
- Seat Belt Reminder
Most whiplash injuries occur at in built-up, urban areas at low speeds – despite this, the Smart Brake Support system in the Volkswagen Sharan helped to avoid potential collisions that may have occurred in the test’s scenarios, minimalising any potential whiplash injuries or accidents.
The NCAP report stated that the Sharan’s lane assistance system helps to prevent inadvertent drifting out lane, by warning the driver and gently applying some corrective steering.
The system also intervenes more aggressively in some critical situations, making driving at high speeds safer on motorways.
The report recognised the VW Sharan’s camera and digital mapping system that is used to determine the local speed limit - this information is presented to the driver who can choose to let the set limiter adapt the speed accordingly.
The car has a seatbelt reminder system as standard for front and rear seats, ensuring that good safety is afforded to the Sharan driver and their family.
Watch how the Volkswagen Sharan performed during the 2019 Euro NCAP Crash and Safety tests:
You can see a range of the best VW Sharan deals here at Vertu Motors.
Click below to take a look at one of the large MPVs on the market:
For more detail on how the Volkswagen Sharan performed, you can view the complete Euro NCAP report here.