The 2020 Volkswagen Arteon full-size sedan earned a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS, the automaker announced this week.
The Arteon previously earned top “Good” ratings on all six crash tests conducted by the IIHS, but until now did not qualify for the award due to headlights that rated “Poor.” New for 2020 are curve-adaptive LED headlights that move with the direction of the steering wheel to illuminate further down the road than static headlights. Those dynamic headlights, and the subsequent TSP award, apply to SEL, SEL R-Line, and SEL Premium R-Line trims; the headlights on the base SE trim were still rated at “Poor.”
The 2020 Kia Stinger is the only other non-luxury large sedan to earn a TSP award. The Genesis G70, G80, G90 and Audi A6 were all 2020 TSP winners.
In addition to good crash-test results and the uprated headlights, the 2020 Arteon comes with a bevy of standard driver assistance features that curry favor with customers and safety agencies. The Arteon’s automatic emergency braking system with pedestrian detection avoided collisions with other vehicles at speeds up to 12 mph and 25 mph, and avoided or substantially slowed its speed in hitting a pedestrian crossing in front of the car. When an imminent crash with a pedestrian is detected, the Arteon’s hood pops up to lessen the blow.
Pedestrians walking alongside the car in the same direction did not fare as well; in that test meant to simulate a pedestrian walking along the shoulder of the road, the Arteon’s system failed to stop.
The 2020 Arteon also comes with blind-spot monitors with rear cross-traffic alerts as standard. Options include adaptive cruise control, active lane control, and a surround-view camera system.
Due to low sales volume of the Arteon, the NHTSA has not yet crash-tested the sedan and is unlikely to in the future.
