Citroën’s new C6 has become the first car to win four starts for pedestrian protection in a EuroNCAP crash test, while Jeep’s Grand Cherokee managed to score no stars at all.The Citroën’s success comes from its pop-up bonnet, which raises upon impact to deflect the pedestrian’s body away from the engine. It also pushes the body away from the car and onto the road to avoid accident victims being rolled over the top of the car. The new Jaguar XK also has a pop-up bonnet and is expected to set a new standard for sports cars in the test.
The Jeep did exceptionally badly, scoring no stars at all for pedestrian protection. But the Fiat Croma, Mazda 6 and Mitsubishi Colt managed little better, scoring only one star each.
And the Chevrolet Matiz, a car whose first-generation incarnation this magazine has had serious concerns over when it was badged as a Daewoo, received a ‘struck through three stars’ for occupant protection. The strike through means a very high risk of serious injury in one aspect of the car’s crash performance – in this case chest protection in a side impact. It was also the only car tried in this round of tests not to have seat-belt reminder.
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