Redesigned for the 2015 model year, the stablemate hatchbacks demonstrated ‘good’ performance in all of the IIHS crash tests to achieve the Top Safety Pick+ title.
The small overlap test, introduced in 2012, is considered the most challenging trial. Vehicles are aligned with a solid wall that overlaps 25 percent of the front end, struck at 40 mph to replicate what happens when a car hits a utility pole or tree.
“In the small overlap test, the driver’s space was maintained well and injury measures recorded on the dummy indicate a low risk of any significant injuries in a crash of this severity,” IIHS said in a statement. “While the dummy’s head nearly slid off the left side of the airbag, the side curtain airbag deployed to protect the head from contacting side structure and outside objects.”
The Golf and GTI join the Passat as the latest Volkswagen models to receive the Top Safety Pick qualification.
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