The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently crashed the 2015 VW GTI and Golf for science. Their findings revealed that both models fared excellently in the usual battery of tests, though when it comes to active impact culling or collision warning systems, it only earned a basic rating (that’s a 2 out of 4).
Of all structural tests, the most demanding is the newly-introduced small overlap crash simulation. It flusters most cars that were designed with the usual frontal test (and not outright passenger safety under any circumstances) in mind, though this is no longer the case with most new or redesigned models.
The Golf and GTI are no exceptions faring well and recording “a low risk of any significant injuries in a crash of this severity. 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 cars were rated “Top Safety Pick+,” gaining the plus for having earned the basic rating for active crash prevention/avoidance.
