ADAC test emergency brake assist: BMW and Volvo have problems

G tested ADAC developed the systems in the BMW 3 Series, the Audi A4, the Mercedes C-Class, the Subaru Outback, the Volvo V60 and the Kia Optima. The ADAC simulated various scenarios on its test track: the sudden appearance of a pedestrian or a cyclist, day and night. In addition, various crash test dummies were used - one of them had movable legs.

ADAC

The results in detail.

Audi and Subaru protect best

Audi and Subaru are showing what today is already possible. You can avoid accidents with crossing pedestrians during the day even at higher speeds. The Subaru stereo camera system surprises with very good performance in the dark. The system reliably detects pedestrians in dark clothing even in absolute darkness - i.e. without street lighting. That's more than the human eye can do.

Audi is the only manufacturer to install its pedestrian detection system as standard. Audi's assistant masters the difficult scenario of recognizing a child who is partially hidden by parked cars and then runs out into the street. Recognizing cyclists, however, is still a problem for all manufacturers examined. The Audi A4 can at least prevent a crash with a very slow cyclist (8 km /h). Kia's automatic emergency braking function works solidly during the day. The brake assistant avoids a collision with an adult at a speed of up to 45 km /h. The system reacts to a limited extent at night.

Volvo disappoints: The system has problems recognizing the dummy with moving legs. A warning is given, but braking does not take place. The system reacts better in the test with a static dummy. The assistant switches off at night. In the ADAC test, the V60 did not react to the crossing cyclist dummy.

Mercedeshas an acceptable emergency braking solution on the market that at least recognizes the cyclist. An accident with an adult is avoided from up to 30 km /h, from up to 25 km /h with a 'hidden child'.

The BMW assistant switches off at night. The emergency brake assistant only warns and brakes lightly. It can also be easily deactivated with the push of a button and does not clearly indicate the shutdown. And: after restarting the car, the assistant remains switched off. All other tested systems are active again after a restart.

auto motor und sport tested emergency braking systems back in May 2015, you can read the results here .

Emergency braking systems could number of Drastically reduce road deaths

Around 30% of road users killed in Germany are pedestrians and cyclists (2015: 540 pedestrians, 380 cyclists). In other countries this proportion is even significantly higher. According to studies, effective assistants in the entire vehicle fleet could reduce the number of fatalities by up to 30%. Since 2016, Euro NCAP has had a test procedure with crossing pedestrians during the day.