Safety at the highest level: another five stars for the Tiguan

Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line

WOLFSBURG : July 13, 2009 - The Tiguan is not only one of the most popular, but also one of the safest vehicles in its segment: once more the high level of competence at Volkswagen in the field of safety has been confirmed by top results in three independent crash test procedures.


The incredible effectiveness of the passive safety systems in the Tiguan was confirmed by independent testers in the USA and in Europe: the Tiguan was awarded the top value of five stars in July by the American NCAP (New Car Assessment Program). Three areas of safety were assessed by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration): the front crash, the side crash and rollover stability. In the front and side crash, the Tiguan, Europe's most popular SUV, was awarded five stars each for the categories occupant protection for the driver and front passenger, and four stars for rollover safety. The risk of injury was assessed as being very low in all cases.

The first-class performance of the Tiguan is based on a comprehensive safety concept which includes the stable passenger safety cell and the energy-absorbing deformation zones around the vehicle. The IIHS (Insurance Institute of Highway Safety), which was founded by insurance companies in the USA and has been carrying out crash test programmes regularly since 1995, stated that the compact SUV's crash response was excellent and awarded the vehicle the "Top Safety Pick". Furthermore, the popular off-road vehicle achieved the best ever value in the compact SUV segment, four stars, for the roof stability test in which it was laden down with four times its own weight.

The Tiguan received the highest possible award of five stars in 2009 from the more stringent EuroNCAP Test, in which the vehicle is tested in four categories (protection for adult passengers, child protection, pedestrian protection, safety assist systems).

The reason for the high level of safety potential in the Tiguan can be found in the high stability of the body structure and the corresponding protection systems. A design with light-weight, profile-intensive construction using form-hardened, highest-strength sheet steel was chosen for the Tiguan. The shell construction of the steel body also offers the occupants optimal protection under crash conditions. But the numerous driver assist systems including ABS, ESP with brake assist, TCS, EDL with trailer stabilisation and EBC also contribute to the outstanding safety.

Inside, the carefully matched interplay of body and restraint systems ensure that passenger impact is kept to a minimum in the event of an accident. Three-point retractable seat belts are standard for all seats. Belt force limiters to reduce impact to the chest are integrated into both front seats and the two outer rear seats. Furthermore, electronically activated belt tensioners in front insure the optimal exploitation of the available safety zone. The front airbags in combination with the belt restraint system provide optimal protection for the driver and front passenger during a frontal collision. The completely newly developed front seats and head restraints are designed especially to provide extensive protection from cervical spine injuries during a rear collision. Child safety is rounded out by standard Isofix anchorage for the rear seats. Standard curtain airbags and side airbags integrated in the seat backrests add to the all-round safety of the Tiguan.

In addition to triggering the protective restraint systems, the belt tensioners and the airbags, the Tiguan's airbag trigger system communicates with other control units: in the event of an accident, the hazard warning lights are activated, locked doors are unlocked, the interior lights are switched on and the fuel pump is switched off.

But pedestrian protection played a major role in the development of the Tiguan from the very beginning. All the relevant parts of the vehicle's front were designed with the pedestrian in mind, and the inner sheet metal structure of the bonnet in particular was optimised for pedestrian protection. For example, there is a specially-designed soft foam body underneath the bumper cover which is designed to reduce the severity of leg injuries primarily.

[Source : Volkswagen]