Opel/Vauxhall Karl

The passenger compartment of the Karl remained stable in the frontal offset test.  Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs of the driver and passenger.  Opel showed that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sat in different positions.  In the full-width rigid barrier test, the pelvis of the rear passenger dummy slipped beneath the lap portion of the seatbelt, and protection of this body area was rated as poor.  Protection of the chest was rated as marginal, based on dummy readings of chest compression.  Protection of all critical body areas was good for the driver dummy.  In the side barrier test, protection of all critical parts of the body was good and the Karl scored maximum points.  However, in the more severe side pole impact, the head 'bottomed out' the curtain airbag and the resulting high decelerations indicated poor protection of this body area.  Chest protection was rated as marginal based on dummy readings of rib compression.  Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated marginal protection against whiplash injury in the event of a rear-end collision.  A geometric assessment of the rear seats also indicated marginal whiplash protection.