Back in 2006, the Brussels-based European New Car Assessment Program tested a 1.2 liter 3-door Opel/Vauxhall Corsa D, which at that time was just hitting the market as a replacement to the Corsa C. The Gamma-based subcompact three-door received five (of five) stars for adult occupant, three (of five) stars for child occupant, and three (of four) stars for pedestrian impact.
Front Impact
During the frontal impact, Euro NCAP noted that the double pre-tensioner on the driver’s seatbelt effectively restrained the dummy so that the knees did not contact the dashboard. However, the head of the driver dummy bottomed-out the airbag onto the steering wheel. The organization still rated head protection as “adequate”, while awarding the passenger maximum points in the test.
Side Impact
The subcompact recorded maximum points for side impact performance and pole tests, protecting the occupants quite nicely using a harmony of a stiff body and effective airbag deployment — as the video below shows.
Child Occupant
Euro NCAP commended the fact that the passenger airbag can be deactivated to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used, but wasn’t fond of the fact that information provided to the driver about the status of said airbag was not marked to meet Euro NCAP’s requirements. The organization also noted that the presence of ISOFIX anchorages in the rear outboard seats was not marked in a prominent fashion.
Pedestrian
The protection offered by the Corsa’s hood to the head of a child and the protection offered by the bumper to the legs of a pedestrian were predominantly rated “fair” by the program, but the leading edge of the hood scored no points.
The Video
As much as it hurts to watch a brand new car getting smashed to pieces in these crash tests, we’re constantly reminded that it’s all for the sake of better and safer cars:
No Comments yet