Audi Q3 is Top Of The Class in 2011 Euro NCAP Crash Tests

MILTON KEYNES, UNITED KINGDOM – Feb 23, 2012: The Audi Q3 has been rated best in class in the ‘Small Off-Road 4x4’ category by the European consumer protection initiative Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme). The Q3 received five stars – the highest possible score – for passive crash safety.

Testers assessed the Q3 for its adult occupant protection in a frontal or side collision, child safety and pedestrian protection, and returned a top rating of five stars. Euro NCAP considers, among other things, the fasten seatbelt reminder for the front and in particular the rear seat passengers – systems that the Audi Q3 comes with as standard. It also takes into account the specially-designed front end that helps to mitigate the consequences of a collision and offers greater pedestrian protection.

Driver assistance systems
But the Audi Q3 also features a number of active safety options that go above and beyond the measures assessed by Euro NCAP.

The Q3’s assistance systems have been adopted from executive and luxury class Audi models, and are designed to help to prevent collisions and to make it easier for drivers to keep in lane on the motorway, to change lanes, draw attention to important traffic signs and assist with parking.

The Audi side assist system activates at speeds above 19mph to help drivers change lanes on motorways and dual carriageways. Two 24-gigahertz radar sensors in the rear observe what is happening behind the Q3 to a distance of 70 metres. If another vehicle is in the critical zone – if it is travelling in the blind spot or approaching rapidly – the so-called information stage is activated. A yellow LED indicator illuminates in the casing of the driver's side mirror; the driver sees it only when looking directly into the mirror. If the driver then activates the indicator to change lanes, the indicator becomes brighter and pulsates.

Audi active lane assist becomes operational at speeds of 40mph and above, and uses a camera mounted in the base of the rear view mirror to detect the lane markings. It monitors the road up to a distance of more than 50 metres and a coverage angle of roughly 40 degrees, delivering 25 high-definition images per second.

Software detects the lane markings and the course the Audi Q3 is following between them. If the car approaches a line without an indicator being activated, the system helps the driver to steer back into the lane by intervening gently in the electromechanical steering. The driver can use the MMI to determine whether steering wheel vibration should also be used to warn of an unintended lane change.

The speed limit display uses the same video camera as Audi active lane assist. In addition to specific speed limit signs and generic signs confirming that the national speed limit applies, the system's image processing software also recognises digital displays and pictogram-based supplemental signs, such as those applicable in wet conditions. This information is then compared with the data from the navigation system, the maximum permissible speeds in many European countries and information from the vehicle, such as whether or not the windscreen wipers are on and the time of day. The traffic signs are shown as graphics in the display of the driver’s information system (DIS).

Five stars for the new A6
The Audi A6 has earned a five-star rating in its Euro NCAP test, placing it among the safest cars in its class for adult occupant protection in a frontal or side collision and the child safety and pedestrian protection.

The A6 also features a number of active safety options, including the full range of Audi pre sense systems, lane assist, the head-up display, night vision assistant with pedestrian alert function, and Audi park assist. The adaptive light and high-beam assist systems are also available as options.

Euro NCAP tested 53 cars for safety last year across four categories: Adult Protection, Child Protection, Pedestrian Protection and Driver Assistance Systems. Both the Audi Q3 and the Audi A6 achieved outstanding results in these categories.