Volvo XC60 Judged Safest Car You Can Buy
Volvo’s XC90 was a previous Euro NCAP winner
The Volvo XC60 may very well be one of the safest cars money can buy, according to tests conducted by the European New Car Assessment Program, or Euro NCAP.
Testers found the XC60 to be the car with the best overall performance in the 2017 Euro NCAP 2017 Best in Class safety awards.
The new SUV, judged in the Large Off Road category, received five-stars on the Euro NCAP ratings and scored top ratings in two key categories, 98% in the Adult Occupant category and 95% in Safety Assist, some 20 percentage points higher than the closest competitor.
The car’s autonomous safety systems were cited for excelling in collision avoidance.
“The standard-fit autonomous emergency braking system scored maximum points in tests of its functionality at the low-speeds typical of city driving, with collisions avoided at all test speeds,” reported Euro NCAP testers.
The design of the car’s safety systems, including front and side airbags and seatbelts, means that passengers would be unlikely to suffer much impact as the SUV itself is designed to do that, nor would they be likely to suffer whiplash as the seatbelt design will stop the neck from snapping forward.
“The new XC60 is one of the safest Volvo cars ever made,” said Malin Ekholm, vice president of the automaker’s Cars Safety Centre, in a statement.
The Swedish automaker has a history of excelling in safety. The Volvo XC90 won similar accolades in 2015 while an earlier Volvo V40 won in the Small Family class.
Founded in 1927, Volvo is known for its numerous safety innovations that include the three-point safety belt (1959), the rearward-facing child seat (1972), the inflatable curtain (1998), and blind-spot detection (2003).
The Euro NCAP award for the XC60 is not the first for Volvo: the automaker’s XC90 was named the best performing Large Off-Road car in 2015, and the car with the best overall performance that year. Volvo’s V40 is another previous Euro NCAP winner.
German automaker Volkswagen took top honors in three categories, namely the Executive category with the Arteon, the Small Family Car class with the T-Roc, and the Supermini class with the Polo.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
