Volkswagen' s Fastest Cars Are Much Safer Than You Think CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News Volkswagen' s Fastest Cars Are Much Safer Than You Think

Volkswagen' s Fastest Cars Are Much Safer Than You Think

Jun. 18, 2022 3:06 PM ET by Chase Bierenkoven Industry News / Comments Now if only the infotainment system wasn't so finicky. Volkswagen has long been carrying the "affordable fast daily-driver" torch with the Volkswagen Golf R and Golf GTI. It wasn't always like that. The OG GTI was, like many cars of that era, basically a few tin sheets and an engine, at least as far as crash safety went. That tune has since changed, which is honestly better news than most VW GTI and Golf R buyers and fans might think. On the surface, it's easy to simply say "who cares" after hearing that both VW hot hatches have earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick. They're supposed to be fast, not safe, right? Dig a little deeper, and you'll find that seemingly irrelevant announcements like this one are actually critical to the future of both of the high-performance hatches from VW. Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen CarBuzz Let's get the specifics out of the way first. The VW Golf R earned a Top Safety Pick + award because it scored better than "good" ratings in six crashworthiness tests plus no less than an "acceptable rating" for standard headlights, and no less than an "advanced" rating for front crash prevention tests. Wunderbar! The VW Golf GTI managed similarly, netting a lesser Top Safety Pick award. That came down to the GTI's lack of standard LED headlights. Standard safety features play a role here as well, such as the pair's standard forward-collision warning and rear-cross traffic assist. The IIHS lab also factors these into their ratings. So let's start with the obvious. A faster car should be safer simply because it can go faster. Why do you think Romain Grosjean wasn't turned into a very crispy baguette at Bahrain? Because his F1 car was so safe it prevented a tragedy. Then it must be determined who these cars are for. The VW GTI and Golf R are supposed to be everyday performance cars. Something you can use to go fast while also putting the kiddos in the back. CarBuzz CarBuzz CarBuzz CarBuzz So, would you put your kids in the back seats of your not-so-safe car? Probably not. Your significant other would probably take issue with that as well. The fact of the matter is that these safety ratings translate directly into better press, and therefore sales, of these Golfs. VW has gotten blown up over its latest GTI and R for its cost-cutting measures and infuriating infotainment system. To add poor crash safety to that would only further affect sales. And as much as we may blast VW for that silly climate control swipey deal, we still want the GTI and R to live on forever. So these crash standards matter. End rant. Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen

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Volkswagen Golf GTI Volkswagen Golf R Chase Bierenkoven Associate Editor Shortly before applying to law school, Chase decided to take a chance on pursuing his dream job: playing with cars and getting paid for it. Law school was just a means to an end, after all. His first writing job was freelance and barely paid his grocery bill. It quickly turned into a full-time position, eventually leading Chase to join CarBuzz in 2022. Chase now tests cars, and sits comfortably at the news desk when he's not in the driver's seat. In his spare time, Chase can be heard trying to play guitar, or out enjoying Colorado's natural splendor in his BMW M3. Contact Chase @bierenkoven @cbier823 LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top