Audi A3 Aces IIHS Testing

2015 Audi A3 (Credit: Audi)

The all-new Audi A3 sedan recently went through the battery of crash tests administered by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and aced them. The car logged the highest scores possible for all of the crash tests, which is incredibly impressive. That even includes the small overlap front crash test, which has been a major sticking point for smaller vehicles from a variety of automakers.

On top of that, the Audi A3 achieved an Advanced rating on the front crash prevention test, which determines how a vehicle helps the driver avoid an imminent head-on collision. Because of its stellar performance, the 2015 A3 was awarded the prestigious Top Safety Pick+ rating.

Considering how seriously Audi takes safety, this really shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. Still, performing so well on all of the crash tests is something worth noting, and no doubt will be a bragging point Audi will highlight over and over.

Already, Audi is emphasizing the fact that the A3 is loaded with some safety technologies that can’t be had in other entry-level luxury models. These include the pre sense system that was developed by the company as a way to prep the vehicle when an impending accident is detected. Buyers will also be able to add some driver assistance features like adaptive cruise control and lane assist. Some people argue that with such technologies, drivers feel like they are even more impervious to harm and so engage in riskier behavior like texting or surfing the web while driving. Of course, that might be why Audi includes a secondary collision brake assist, which applies the brakes after the car crashes in an attempt to prevent it from being pushed into other vehicles.