Rover 75 and NCAP

2001 June, by email: Rover 75 Performs Well in Euro' NCAP Safety Tests.
Inthe latest round of Euro NCAP tests, Rover 75 performs well, placed third in the frontal collisions ahead of the Volvo S80, Saab 9-5 and Audi A4, equal first in the side impact and fourth overall, despite not being qualified for the inclusion of the Pole test results. Euro NCAP have stated that the "Rover 75 put in a strong performance. If the side impact head-protecting airbag had been standard equipment and not an option, the 75 would have come close to matching the Laguna's five star rating".

The Euro NCAP side impact requirements for rib deflection is a movement no greater than 24mm to achieve good performance; the Rover absorbed the impact with a deflection of just 13mm. Rover 75 is a popular choice in the premium upper medium and compact-executive sectors and in a recent JD Power customer satisfaction survey, the 75 was placed in the top fifth position. Built at Longbridge, to highly exacting quality standards, the 75's bodyshell has class-leading integral strength with a torsional rigidity measured at 24,250 Nm per degree.

Strong intrinsic safety performance for this robust design has been made possible by using laser-welded blanks to absorb front-end impacts. The hydro-formed front sub-frame strengthens the front end, but also lozenges under offset impact, which absorbs crash pulses. The bodyshell uses high strength steels extensively, which contributes to the protection offered by the extremely strong bodyshell. Side pole tests were conducted to demonstrate the 75's ITS head protection system and the two additional points were not included on the basis of it being an optional feature. Euro NCAP stated that "the car passed, confirming that the head protecting airbag works well".

Top Scores, so far:

	Front	Side	Pole	Total score
Renault Laguna	15.00	16.00	2	33.00
Saab 9-5	12.70	16.00	2	31.00
Mercedes C-Class	14.00	15.00	2	31.00
Rover 75	13.78	16.00	-	30.00
Audi A4	12.00	16.00	2	30.00
Nissan Almera	12.00	16.00	2	30.00
Volvo S80	11.04	16.00	2	29.00
Renault Scenic	11.00	16.00	2	29.00

Rob Oldaker, MG Rover Group's product development director, said: "MG Rover continually strive to produce safer cars with an intrinsic level of safety feature. We use a spectrum of tests and techniques to optimise the design. When Rover 75 was first conceived, a mathematical simulation was impact tested over 300 times to evolve the design, before the structure became a reality. This and subsequent testing have been vindicated in the good crash-test results of the Euro NCAP exercise." [-MG Rover]

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