2002 Volkswagen New Beetle

small car / 2-door hatchback

2002 Volkswagen New Beetle 2-door hatchback
1998 Volkswagen New Beetle shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 1998-2010 models built after June 1998

Tested vehicle: 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle 2-door

The Volkswagen New Beetle was reincarnated for the 1998 model year.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has evaluated the crashworthiness of the New Beetle in a 40 mph frontal offset crash test into a deformable barrier. (Note: following discussion about restraint system performance in an initial offset test, Volkswagen changed the size of the driver airbag vent hole. Cars manufactured after June 1998 are equipped with the revised airbag design. Information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door.)

The Institute conducted a second crash test using a New Beetle equipped with the revised airbag. This evaluation covers both tests. Ratings are based on the second test.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

The driver's upper interior survival space was maintained well.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head brushed the window sill during rebound.

Minimal intrusion into the driver footwell area helped earn the New Beetle's good rating for the performance of the structure/safety cage.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CF98010
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 9
Left (cm) 11
Center (cm) 7
Right (cm) 3
Brake pedal (cm) 7
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 2
Right (cm) 1
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 3
Rearward (cm) -2
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 2

Driver injury measures

Test ID CF98010
Head
HIC-15 241
Peak gs at hard contact 15
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.3
Extension bending moment (Nm) 18
Maximum Nij 0.25
Chest maximum compression (mm) 31
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 1.8
Femur force - right (kN) 3.6
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 5
Maximum tibia index - left 0.59
Maximum tibia index - right 0.32
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.8
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.0
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 113
Right 65

About the original moderate overlap front test