NEWS
Renault wishing on a star pays off
Adding a seatbelt reminder has made Renault's Megane small car so much safer, according to Euro NCAPChanges to the testing regime at Euro NCAP are confounding a lot of manufacturers, but Renault is likely the company that has suffered most.
From a very high safety profile from the early days of NCAP test, right through to recent times, Renault's reputation for crash safety has been a role model for other car companies. So its recent fall from grace has been all the more precipitous.
But Renault may be on the way back, if recent crash results published by Euro NCAP are any guide. There's still a long way to go, however. Renault's small car, the Megane, has been re-tested since its mediocre three-star result earlier this year. The car is now fitted with a seatbelt reminder system that "meets Euro NCAP's requirements" and is now deemed to be a four-star car.
Where the Renault seems to be lagging now is in the category of 'Safety Assist'. To illustrate, the Tesla Model S, which was also tested recently by Euro NCAP, is a five-star car. In adult, child and pedestrian categories it's either inferior to the Megane or only slightly ahead (pedestrian). Where the American EV gets a considerable kick along on the way to its five-star eminence is 'Safety Assist' – 71 per cent versus just 56 per cent for the small Renault.
As we're reported in the past, additional safety assist technology, such as a lane departure warning system, would help lift the Megane's Safety Assist quotient – and possibly help it across the line into five-star territory.
The Tesla was one of four cars achieving five stars in recent Euro NCAP testing. BMW's 2 Series Active Tourer, Skoda's new Fabia and Nissan's Euro Pulsar – which is rumoured, but by no means certain, to be coming to Australia – all met the necessary standard for a five-star Euro NCAP rating.
Disappointingly for Suzuki Australia, the Celerio achieved just three stars during the latest round of testing. While the light hatch, which is set to arrive here early next as a successor to the current Alto, was rated relatively highly for child safety (74 per cent), it didn't fare as well for adult occupant protection (61 per cent). Pedestrian safety was rated at 68 per cent by Euro NCAP, but what really held back the Suzuki was Safety Assist once more – just 38 per cent.
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Written byCarsales Staff
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