2017 Audi Q5 gets five-star EuroNCAP rating, others fare worse
Citroen C3 awarded four, Fiat 500 and Ford Ka+ receive three stars
The 2017 Audi Q5 has received a five-star safety rating from independent crash-testing authority Euro NCAP, ahead of its Australian launch later this year.
Scoring 93 per cent for adult occupant protection, 86 per cent for child occupants, 73 per cent for pedestrian protection and 58 per cent for safety assist systems, the Q5 showed good all-round performance - dropping points mainly due to the lack of a lane support system as standard equipment.
The Q5 does, however, feature autonomous emergency braking (AEB) as standard, which also includes pedestrian recognition.
Like the Land Rover Discovery and Toyota C-HR, the Q5 wears the top safety rating in Europe, and should achieve a similar result when assessed by local authority ANCAP.
The same can't be said for the new Citroen C3, which received four stars due to a marginal performance in pedestrian protection, while the facelifted Fiat 500 and new Ford Ka+ (latter not sold here) received only three stars.
Euro NCAP cited several issues with the 500 and Ka+, including a lack of AEB, rear seatbelt pretensioners and load limiters, along with poor protection of occupants in the full-width frontal crash test - the 500 receiving a poor rating for protection of the driver and rear passenger, while the Ka+ got a poor rating for chest protection.
First deliveries of the Audi Q5 will commence mid-2017 for Australian buyers, with local pricing and specifications still to be confirmed.
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