With a score of 37 points out of 371 in its EuroNCAP crash tests, New Renault Megane has asserted itself as the safest car in any category2. It is the 11th Renault model to earn the top five-star rating.

New Megane has safety in its genes. It is a fundamental part of the car, which was developed to set standards in both active and passive safety. To that end it incorporates a long list of features from the Renault heritage, including:

- twin side-impact sensors, an innovation that débuted with Laguna III,
- six airbags, including two twin-chamber thorax/groin airbags,
- The Renault System for Restraint and Protection, which combines dual pretensioners and load limiters with twin-stage dual-chamber adaptive front airbags,
-   new-generation headrests.

ABS and emergency brake assist come as standard, while some versions feature electronic stability control (ESC) with additional under steer control.

Across its line-up Renault builds safety on real-world situations. It has done just that with New Megane, focusing both on technologies that 'prevent, correct, and protect' most effectively and on educating road-users.

With a score of 37 out of 373 in its EuroNCAP crash tests, New Megane stands out as the safest vehicle in any class ever tested by the independent road safety body4. The only automaker to have secured the five-star top rating 11 times, Renault makes safety a priority. New Megane’s programmed deformation structure absorbs energy in the event of an impact to ensure the integrity of the cabin and the safety of its occupants. It incorporates materials and high, very high, and very, very high elastic steels for absorbing and dissipating as much kinetic energy as possible. Controlled deformation ensures that occupants are subjected to lower deceleration forces and, coupled with the third-generation Renault System for Restraint and Protection (SRP3), guarantees an extremely high level of protection

New Megane’s SRP3 is designed to adjust to the force of an impact and the build of the vehicle’s occupants. It combines pretensioners (dual pretensioners for the front seats, single for the rear side seats), which prevent the body from being thrown forward on impact and tighten the strap against the thorax and lap; load limiters to reduce the pressure exerted by the strap on the thorax; and dual-chamber twin-stage adaptive airbags that deploy by just the right amount to absorb the remaining kinetic energy. SRP3 affords the best possible degree of protection against submarining – when the groin slides underneath the lapstrap – which can cause extensive, and sometimes very serious, injury to the abdomen in the event of a collision.

Special attention has been lavished on protection against side impact, a major cause of fatality in urban accidents (which account for one-third of all road accidents). The dual side-impact sensors that made their début in Laguna III have halved the time the side airbags take to trigger. Coupled with a new generation of bulkier curtain airbags, occupants’ head protection has been improved by 30%. Another feature is the fact that the dual-chamber thorax/groin airbags exert three times more pressure to the groin than to the thorax (the groin is both more exposed to injury and able to withstand greater pressure than the chest.)

New Megane boasts new headrests whose support rods slide into the headrest and not into thetop of the back of the seat, where their rigidity constitutes a hazard in the event of a rear impact.

This arrangement enhances protection of the neck vertebrae, as the passenger sinks 60 millimetres into the curved, frameless seat, which restricts the sudden movement of his or her head and thorax caused by an impact.

New Megane Hatch’s front end also incorporates new technological solutions for improved protection of pedestrians in the event of an impact. Work has gone into modifying the rigidity and thickness of the bumper to protect the lower limbs by absorbing energy at tibia and knee height. Careful attention was also paid to the energy absorption capacity of the bonnet and surrounding structure (wings, opening mechanism, bonnet interior).

Child safety is an issue in on its own right to which Renault devotes special research of the same exacting standard as for adult safety systems. With a score four stars out of five in EuroNCAP’s child rating, New Mégane affords among the highest levels of protection. Isofix anchorage systems in the left and right rear seats make it easy to secure Isofix child and booster seats safely.

New Megane also incorporates equipment that helps drivers to anticipate risks on the road:
- tyre pressure monitoring system,
- novel cruise-control speed-limiter with a functional, intuitive luminous interface that is faster and safer to read,
- automatically activated headlights, automatically activated windscreen wipers.

Its bi-Xenon directional headlamps, the dipped beams of which change angle when the vehicle is cornering, make night-time driving safer. They show the lie of the road more sharply and widen the driver’s field of visibility.

For active safety New Mégane Hatch is equipped as standard with ABS and electronic brake balance control, as well as emergency brake assist. In addition, some versions have ESC with understeer control logic for difficult and emergency driving situations.

Renault and safety: a comprehensive approach with four focuses of action Across its entire range Renault’s safety approach builds on accident research and real-world safety with the aim of producing vehicles adapted to the realities of the road. This means that it prioritises technologies that prevent all risk of accident, correct abnormal driving situations, and protect occupants in the event of a collision.

Courtesy: The Renault Group

Celebrate Christmas Festival with Gifts
& Find Latest Cars at Discount Price:
Hyundai Santro Xing (Hatchback)
Mercedes-Benz S-Class S -350L
Fiat Palio 1.1 SL Stile (Petrol)
Mahindra Renault (Sedan)
Mitsubishi Lancer (Sedan)
Volkswagen Passat (Sedan)
Mercedes-Benz S-Class S -350L
Honda Civic (Sedan)
Toyota Camry (Sedan)

Add a comment

Posted by Naresh Koshti on 27 November, 2008 10:34:36 AM IST #