Volkswagen could sell about 300,000 units of the all-new Passat in Europe alone next year, thanks to the new technologies and multitude of engines fitted to the MQB sedan. A few of those cars will be involved in accidents eventually, so it's a good thing that the German model just received the maximum 5-star rating.
After being subjected to a barrage of tests, the all-new Passat received an 85% score for adult occupant protection, which is good, but not the best we've ever seen. More crucially perhaps, child occupant protection was very high at 87%. With 76% safety assist ratings, the Passat is also the type of car you can rely on in a highway emergency.
The Passat is based on the same MQB modular platform as the Golf 7, which also received the maximum 5-star safety rating last year. Structural rigidity was built into both cars from the start, with extra bracing for the lower side sills being a noteworthy feature. As you can see from the crash video below, the windshield of the Passat barely cracked and the front door was intact during the small overlap frontal impact, which means cabin is almost non-existent.
Electronic stability control is standard equipment and was praised by the guys at Euro NCAP, who also liked the optional lane departure warning system and the automatic braking system. In fact, had the Passat not been equipped with Front Assist with City Emergency Braking, it would not have received the maximum score.
It's worth a quick note that Euro NCAP has tested three other large family cars in 2014, the Ford Mondeo, Mercedes C-Class and Subaru Outback. Out of them all, the new C-Class is the only one that has an edge over the Passat, scoring 77% for pedestrian protection compared to 66%. However, the VW was marginally better in both child protection and safety assist.
The Passat is based on the same MQB modular platform as the Golf 7, which also received the maximum 5-star safety rating last year. Structural rigidity was built into both cars from the start, with extra bracing for the lower side sills being a noteworthy feature. As you can see from the crash video below, the windshield of the Passat barely cracked and the front door was intact during the small overlap frontal impact, which means cabin is almost non-existent.
Electronic stability control is standard equipment and was praised by the guys at Euro NCAP, who also liked the optional lane departure warning system and the automatic braking system. In fact, had the Passat not been equipped with Front Assist with City Emergency Braking, it would not have received the maximum score.
It's worth a quick note that Euro NCAP has tested three other large family cars in 2014, the Ford Mondeo, Mercedes C-Class and Subaru Outback. Out of them all, the new C-Class is the only one that has an edge over the Passat, scoring 77% for pedestrian protection compared to 66%. However, the VW was marginally better in both child protection and safety assist.