Volkswagen has announced that the 2018 VW Tiguan has received a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS. While the 2018 Tiguan did ace most of the safety tests, it missed out on the coveted Top Safety Pick + rating, due to its subpar headlights.
To earn the Top Safety Pick award, a vehicle must have good ratings in five IIHS crashworthiness tests — driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints — and an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention. In the tests, the 2018 Tiguan performed well in the driver-side small overlap test, with maximum intrusion of less than 2 inches at the lower door-hinge pillar, footrest, and left portion of the toepan. The dummy’s movement was well-controlled by the safety belt and airbags, and measures from the dummy showed that significant injuries would be unlikely in a real-world crash of the same severity.
With the optional front crash prevention system, the 2018 Tiguan avoided a collision in the IIHS 12 mph track test. In the 25 mph track test, the impact speed was reduced by an average of 24 mph.
Now for the bad news, the 2018 VW Tiguan missed out on the highest Top Safety Pick + rating, since its base halogen headlights earned a marginal rating, while the LED headlights that come with the SEL Premium trim earned a poor rating. A vehicle’s headlights have to at least get a good or acceptable rating to get the top rating.
Source: Volkswagen