Are domestic cars safe or not? This issue causes a lot of controversy to this day, and there are quite a lot of adherents of both one and the other point of view. Everyone is trying to prove that they are right, and after the appearance on the market of new cars from AVTOVAZ - LadaVestaLada and LadaX-Ray, the question has become even more relevant. Information about vehicle safety was collected based on a crash test of station wagons. Under what conditions the tests were carried out, what kind of tests they were, and what the result was - read further in the article.
Pre-production testing of LadaVestaCrossSport
Even before serial production of cars started, comprehensive testing began. It was the month of May 2022. One of these tests was attended by analysts from Autoreview, an authoritative publication trusted in the automotive world. Then the car was tested during a side impact on a ram weighing nine hundred kilograms, there was also a removable tip, and the speed was 50 km/h.
The test vehicle was the most fully equipped car, which contained four airbags. The result exceeded all expectations, and the AVTOVAZ designers were proud of it. Most of the impact energy was absorbed by the threshold, the performance of the side airbags fully met expectations, and the rear windows were not damaged in principle, which cannot be said about the driver's window.
AVTOVAZ reports say that the sensors attached to the driver’s dummy did not detect excessive load. According to HIC (hydrogen induced cracking) standards, which indicate head trauma, a good result was obtained. One Autoreview expert noted an interesting feature. The manufacturer did not test the Cross station wagon version with the luggage compartment loaded, although such a test would seem necessary. Such a test would show how securely the oversized luggage located above the window line is fixed. AVTOVAZ explained why they decided not to conduct such a crash test on the Lada Vesta Cross sw. The reason lies in the very purpose of the car, because it is not designed to transport goods, but is an SUV that has increased cross-country ability, but nothing more.
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The package does not include rear side airbags; even if we consider the most expensive, top-end versions, the cabin will only have side airbags in the front row. This was explained by the fact that the final assessment of testing according to EU standards will not change in any way due to their presence, unless the corresponding active safety systems are installed in the car. According to many experts, those who purchase top-end versions would not mind paying a little extra for additional rear row protection.
Crash test Lada Vesta SV cross – production version
As soon as sales of the car started, station wagons, which were classified as production models, were tested. To assess the consequences of a frontal impact, the ARCAP method (frontal collision with an obstacle at a speed of 64 km/h) was used, and the test was carried out by representatives of the Autoreview publication. A test of the consequences of a side impact was carried out on a specially equipped territory of the AVTOVAZ plant. Repeated full-cycle tests were necessary, since both the ground clearance and weight of the production car had increased.
Tests of the serial version
After the start of sales, crash tests were carried out on the Lada Vesta Cross station wagon of the production model. First, let's look at the frontal strike, which was carried out by Autoreview forces directly using their ARCAP method. And then we will evaluate the results of the side impact carried out at AvtoVAZ.
The need for repeated tests of the full cycle, in comparison with a conventional station wagon, is due to the increased ground clearance and increased weight of the Cross.
Autoreview compiled its own ARCAP rating
Vesta Cross frontal impact test
Representatives of “Autoreview” purchased a car specifically for testing for 798,000 rubles, which ended up being badly damaged. To assess the consequences, it was necessary to organize a frontal collision with deformable ceilings, speed – km/h. Even before the start of the procedure, specialists noted the presence of large wheels, which is a clear advantage of the car. The top version of the Cross station wagon is equipped with 17-inch wheels, but the sedan can only boast 15-inch wheels. Experts measured the mass of the car, it turned out that it weighs 148 kg more than the sedan, so energy absorption was expected to be 13% more.
Specialists from the manufacturer’s plant were also invited for testing. The first impression after the collision was that the car withstood it perfectly. Due to the additional amplifiers, there was no displacement of the front pillar, and excellent performance of the left spar was noted - it turned out to be folded, and this made it possible to absorb a significant part of the impact energy. One of the alloy wheels cracked from the energy, but also took part of the impact. The excellent work of ERA-GLONASS is noted; almost instantly after the collision, a company employee got in touch. There was virtually no effort required to open the driver's door, and the airbag deployment was also excellent. The table shows what damage the mannequins in the front row received:
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| Head and cervical injuries | None. Norm. When the car bounced off during the collision, the driver's head turned, but without any damage to his health. |
| Knee injuries | A slight impact of the right knee on the dashboard, no contact of the left knee with the plastic is noted |
| Damage to the chest compartment | None. The seat belts worked well, the compression force was assessed as normal. During the collision, the steering wheel moved away from the person by thirty millimeters |
| Foot injuries | None. The pedal assembly has moved slightly, but there is no danger to health. |
According to the results of this testing, the car is resistant to frontal impact and received a high score. However, if you test a car according to the progressive European methodology Euro NCAP, the result is not so good, since it is also necessary to evaluate the structural integrity of the passenger seat in the cabin. After removing the decorative plastic that covers the area of the sills and wings, a number of creases in the metal of the rear and front sills are clearly visible. It is known that since 2016, the plant has modified the front sills in cars using thicker metals. Representatives of Autoreview decided to cut the threshold and remove the external linings - as it turned out, the deformation also affected the power unit itself.
After that, we decided to start removing the floor sound insulation, under which a torn floor appeared, that is, the legroom was destroyed, and this is already a reason to deduct one point. The ruptures occurred exactly at the points, but there were no complaints about the welding. Consequently, the sheet metal supplied to AVTOVAZ is not of sufficient quality. The floor of the car under the driver's seat was also deformed, it was raised, and this was an excessive load on the shin area. As a result, the crash test of the Lada Vesta SV Cross actually failed - it earned only a satisfactory rating. The maximum score was 16 points, and Vesta got only 11.7. Minuses were received for the following reasons:
- The lower legs are not sufficiently protected.
- The floor is deformed, according to Euro NCAP standards, this indicates that the doorway is not stable.
- The threshold broke and the dummy hit the plastic steering column. Although it is not dangerous, the plastic covers a number of metal components.
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The car was given only three stars.
Conclusions and expert assessments
Head-on collision
As a result of the crash test of the Lada SV Cross, problems with the integrity of the body after a frontal impact were identified. The damaged power structure of the threshold and the torn floor under the driver's seat lowered the rating from 4 possible points for leg protection to 1.7 points. In total, Cross receives 11.7 points out of 16 possible. This is 3 stars according to the ARCAP method from the Autoreview auto magazine.
Two years ago, WHA was able to implement a knee joint safety protocol that confirms the safety of the front panel. This is designed to protect the legs of the driver and front passenger from serious injury. The implementation of this protocol adds points to the results of the SV Cross tests - from 11.7 to 15.7 points. In the overall rating, it overtakes the Polo Sedan and is inferior to Solaris.
How AVTOVAZ reacted to the test results
The engineers were really puzzled by the results; they decided to buy back the car that was broken during testing in order to examine it, since there was a possibility of defects during the assembly process. However, this option was not confirmed. Then they carried out computer modeling and compared the test results at the plant site and the result of the Autoreview test. It turned out that the reason for this behavior of the car in a collision was ballast. There is an algorithm for preparing a car for testing.
| Weight on front seats (dummy weight) | 88 kg each |
| Indicator of tank fullness with gasoline (gasoline is replaced with water) | 90 % |
| Ballast weight on the rear seat | 32 kg |
| Weight in the luggage compartment required for testing the equipment | 36 kg |
When testing was carried out at the factory, 2 child seats and 2 child dummies were installed on the rear sofa, but in the external test they used metal ingots that were screwed to the floors. The weight of each ingot is 20 kg. Permission to use this approach is given by Euro NCAP standards only when there is a guarantee that it will not affect the test results. A mathematical model was created, and engineers found that the use of two ingots, each weighing twenty kilograms, affected the load on the reinforcements and welds, increasing it by 20%. That's why the floors were deformed.
After this fact was clarified, 2 similar procedures were carried out using metal ingots, and the result was consistent with that. What did the representatives of Autoreview receive? But test 3 was carried out with child dummies, and it gave excellent results. Here we note the excellent work of the belts, the absence of folds in the floor, the metal and welding firmly withstand impact. It turns out that if 2 child dummies had been seated in the car, it would have received almost 15 points instead of 11.7. However, the test results prompted the designers to seal the floors, and they succeeded.
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Crash test of Lada Vesta Cross during a side impact
Again, the test result is influenced by the evaluation criteria, as in frontal collisions. Side impacts were already tested at the manufacturer’s premises; we took the top-end version of the station wagon. He will participate in a collision with a cart that weighs 950 kg, has a crushable barrier, and speeds 50 km/h. The central part of the car was chosen for impact. The manufacturer talked about a side cushion that was sewn into the seat backs; in the event of a collision, it should open up, cover the window opening by almost half, and the protection will affect not only the body, but also the head.
After the collision, ERA-GLONASS representatives contacted the car 27 seconds later, which is very prompt. Given the shift in the center of gravity closer to the front, a slight turn of the stern was expected. The driver's window was completely broken, but the rear windows and mirror were not damaged. The chief engineer personally expressed his impression of the test, calling it a success. He noted the timely opening of the side airbag, while experts began assessing the damage in the cabin, recording the forces when opening the doors and other analyses. Only after this they begin checking the condition of the mannequin. When the project was just being worked out, AVTOVAZ employees decided to strengthen the thresholds, because the car’s ground clearance had increased, so it was the threshold that would have to absorb the impact energy. Only with the help of reinforcement could it be possible to minimize the effect of the threshold on the central pillars and the likelihood of their displacement. This was a successful crash test of the Lada Vesta Cross - the video is clear evidence that there were no problems opening the doors after the collision, gasoline did not spill out of the tank, and the dummies did not receive serious injuries, especially since even a tool was not needed to remove them. The battery was intact, there were no dangerous parts in the cabin, and according to the injury criteria, they were all below the threshold standards. The manufacturer does not yet plan to test the car with a full luggage compartment or heavy loads, considering this not so necessary. It is important to note that the European Union already has stricter assessment standards, and Vesta was tested according to standards that were developed back in the eighties. For example, using a cart weighing 950 kg is considered irrelevant. Since almost all modern cars weigh more than a ton. According to the Euro NCAP standard, the weight limit is 1 ton and 300 kg, but the assessment standards are the same.
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How are the tests carried out?
According to ARCAP, the crash test is a frontal collision of a car at a speed of 64 km/h with a deformable barrier that simulates the front of a passenger car using aluminum particles. Statistics show that direct collisions are rare, so testing involves hitting the car with an obstacle from the front. Where is the driver? The established overlap size is 40%. This is the ability to simulate an offset, head-on collision between two vehicles having almost the same mass.
Total speed – 110 km/h. 2 mannequins are seated in the cabin, and with the help of sensors installed on them, information about the overloads that act upon impact on such parts of the body as the head, lower leg, chest, kneecaps and hip area is recorded. They examine information on the driver and front row passenger, calculating what injuries they may receive. And with what probability? The calculation takes into account the movement of the steering wheel, the shift of the front left pillars and pedals. Such testing is possible at AVTOVAZ in the Russian Federation, as well as in the Czech Republic, thanks to the specialists of TÜV SÜD Czech
Passive and active safety aspects
These concepts are inextricably linked to the design features of the vehicle and contribute to overall safety.
Passive safety systems usually include:
- brake mechanisms;
- steering control unit, with both hydraulic and electrical amplification principles;
- systems responsible for directional stability and stabilization of car behavior in corners (anti-skid);
- "ABS" etc.
The indicated list of devices and systems is designed to prevent the vehicle from getting into an emergency situation.
Now let's look at the active safety elements:
- impact energy-absorbing side members;
- body components with increased rigidity;
- pillows and curtains in the cabin;
- belts with pre-tensioning functions;
- glass that does not shatter into fragments upon impact.
These systems protect human life at the time of an accident.
Lada Vesta Cross safety level
If we evaluate the test result according to the criteria of the Russian plant with child dummies, then it turned out to be simply excellent. There are no floor breaks at the welding points, the thresholds are not swollen or broken. Experts were able to prove that the unsuccessful scores obtained in the external test were due to the fault of Autoreview representatives. The use of twenty-kilogram ingots affected the final results, as they increased the load on the floors. When testing at AVTOVAZ, Vesta SW Cross was able to receive not only 14.9 points, but also a maximum of 4 stars. The car has high safety scores, more than the Lada Kalina, which scored only 10.1 points, and the Grant with a score of 10.7 points.
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AvtoVAZ tests
Like any other self-respecting person, I was forced to conduct not just a crash test, but the entire range of necessary crash tests.
Testing the sedan involved following aspects of the well-known EuroNCAP methodology. The regulations of this system imply extremely stringent requirements for the vehicles being tested. The maximum rating corresponds to five stars, which is very difficult to achieve.
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During the crash test carried out using the specified European system, the Lada Vesta model managed to score 4 stars. For cars in the “B” segment, this is a very respectable result. This level of safety has become achievable partly due to the good equipping of the basic configuration with safety systems. Here you can observe the presence of two front airbags, as well as the ABS and ESC systems.
Interesting! Following the high test results of the Lada Vesta officially announced by the manufacturer, a large army of car enthusiasts turned to AvtoVAZ with a request to provide video materials confirming these achievements. Despite the massive nature of this appeal, AvtoVAZ still left this request unfulfilled and did not publish the video.
