Volkswagen's Fastest Cars Are Much Safer Than You Think

Volkswagen has long been carrying the "affordable fast daily-driver" torch with the Volkswagen Golf R and Golf GTI. It wasn't always like that. The OG GTI was, like many cars of that era, basically a few tin sheets and an engine, at least as far as crash safety went. That tune has since changed, which is honestly better news than most VW GTI and Golf R buyers and fans might think.

On the surface, it's easy to simply say "who cares" after hearing that both VW hot hatches have earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick. They're supposed to be fast, not safe, right? Dig a little deeper, and you'll find that seemingly irrelevant announcements like this one are actually critical to the future of both of the high-performance hatches from VW.

Let's get the specifics out of the way first. The VW Golf R earned a Top Safety Pick + award because it scored better than "good" ratings in six crashworthiness tests plus no less than an "acceptable rating" for standard headlights, and no less than an "advanced" rating for front crash prevention tests. Wunderbar!

The VW Golf GTI managed similarly, netting a lesser Top Safety Pick award. That came down to the GTI's lack of standard LED headlights. Standard safety features play a role here as well, such as the pair's standard forward-collision warning and rear-cross traffic assist. The IIHS lab also factors these into their ratings.

So let's start with the obvious. A faster car should be safer simply because it can go faster. Why do you think Romain Grosjean wasn't turned into a very crispy baguette at Bahrain? Because his F1 car was so safe it prevented a tragedy. Then it must be determined who these cars are for. The VW GTI and Golf R are supposed to be everyday performance cars. Something you can use to go fast while also putting the kiddos in the back.

So, would you put your kids in the back seats of your not-so-safe car? Probably not. Your significant other would probably take issue with that as well. The fact of the matter is that these safety ratings translate directly into better press, and therefore sales, of these Golfs.

VW has gotten blown up over its latest GTI and R for its cost-cutting measures and infuriating infotainment system. To add poor crash safety to that would only further affect sales. And as much as we may blast VW for that silly climate control swipey deal, we still want the GTI and R to live on forever. So these crash standards matter. End rant.