In its quest to deliver the highest levels of safety in its new IS sports saloon, Lexus has been successful in achieving a top five-star rating in independent Euro NCAP crash testing, confirming it as one of the safest cars ever tested.
The IS scored 91 per cent for adult occupant protection, 85 per cent for child occupant protection, 80 per cent for pedestrian protection and 66 per cent for safety assist performance. Together these results secured an overall five-star commendation, as detailed in the table below.
In the pedestrian protection category, the new IS recorded the best score among all the large family cars Euro NCAP has ever tested, due mainly to the performance of its new pop-up hood and bumper design – features standard across the full IS range. Sensors in the bumper detect when a pedestrian has been struck and actuators lift the bonnet to create extra clearance above the hard structures in the engine compartment. The system can detect pedestrians of different heights, and operates over a range of vehicle speeds.
Where adult occupant safety performance was concerned, Euro NCAP drew attention in its assessment to the maximum points achieved by the new IS in the side barrier impact test, the good protection afforded by the driver and front passenger knee airbags and the high level of protection against whiplash injury.
In the child occupant tests, the model scored maximum points for the protection levels for both 18-month and three-year-old infants.
At the heart of the Lexus IS’s excellent safety performance is its highly rigid, impact-absorbing body shell. This is supported by a comprehensive range of active and passive safety features, engineered to provide the best possible protection in all driving scenarios.
Incorporating Lexus’s unique Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management system, the new IS has successfully built on the superior safety performance of its predecessor model by adopting a full suite of advanced safety features including Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Traction Control (TRC) and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC).
All IS models further benefit from eight airbags as standard, including knee airbags for both driver and front passenger.
The South African IS line-up comprses three models: IS 350, IS 350 EX and IS 350 F-Sport.
