Five-Star Safety Ratings For New Toyota Auris And RAV4

Toyota’s commitment to achieving the highest safety standards is yielding excellent results with both the new Auris and RAV4 being awarded the top five-star rating by the independent testing organisation Euro NCAP. They are among the first models to reach the standard under the tougher test criteria introduced for 2013.

Auris

Launched at the beginning of this year, the British-built Auris maintains Toyota’s reputation for delivering high standards of passive and active safety. It is the first compact/family hatchback to gain Euro NCAP’s five-star rating under the more stringent 2013 testing programme.

As standard, Auris is equipped with ABS with EBD and brake assist, Vehicle Stability Control and an emergency braking signal. In the cabin there is a full complement of front, front side and curtain airbags and a driver’s knee airbag.

In the event of an impact, Auris’s bodyshell has been engineered to absorb and channel energy forces away from the cabin. Around the front end of the car there is also a series of design features that help reduce the risk of injury to pedestrians, while maintaining a low, stylish bonnet line.

In reporting Auris’s crash test performance, Euro NCAP says that “a similar level of safety” can be expected from Auris Touring Sports, the estate/wagon model that will join the range in July.

Euro NCAP tested a mid-grade Auris 1.6 Valvematic. The Toyota’s five-star rating was gained with scores of 92 per cent for adult occupant protection, 84 per cent for child occupant protection, 68 per cent for pedestrian protection and 66 per cent for safety assist features.

RAV4

The new, fourth generation Toyota RAV4 is the first SUV to gain a five-star rating under Euro NCAP’s 2013 test programme, its safety performance building on the achievements of its predecessors.

The new model has an impact-absorbing, multi-load path body construction that helps safeguard occupants in the event of a collision. It goes beyond the provisions of the previous model with a new seat design that helps reduce the risk of whiplash injury. Across the range there are seven airbags on board, including a knee airbag for the driver and twin-chamber front side airbags.

The comprehensive suite of active safety systems includes VSC+, a vehicle stability control system that co-ordinates with the electric power steering to help the driver maintain better control of the vehicle. A new Blind Spot Monitor system is also available, offered as an option on the top-of-the-range Invincible model.

The car tested was a mid-grade 2.2 D-4D diesel all-wheel drive model. It scored 89 per cent for adult occupant protection, 82 per cent for child occupant protection, 66 per cent for pedestrian protection and 66 per cent for safety assist features.

ENDS