How With WOW: Isofix anchorage points
The all-new T-Cross from Volkswagen is a fun, compact, family-friendly SUV. The fact that it’s jam-packed with active and passive safety features that are not normally found at this price point of the market is what makes the T-Cross attractive when buying a new car. Child safety is a non-negotiable in cars, and the smallest members of the family need to be buckled into seats appropriate for their age.
Active safety features in the T-Cross include six air bags, ABS and vehicle stability assistance systems. Key features that keep the youngest members of the family safe are ISOfix anchorage points for child seats. These are found on the front passenger and rear seats of the T-Cross. Remember that if you’re putting the child seat on the front seat you’ll need to deactivate the front passenger air bag for safety.
When buying a chair for your little one, make sure it has Isofix anchorage points, as not all child seats have this feature. Isofix takes the hassle out of securing your child seat the traditional way with multiple loops of the seat belt through various points on the child seat, which normally has the person installing it muttering to themselves as they bump their funny bone for the fourth time in three minutes.
A lever on the base of the child seat releases metal arms that connect to the Isofix points in the car. A set of straps connected to the upper section of the car seat are run over the top of the chair to the anchorage tethering point behind the seat. These are denoted with an anchor sign. (No, those signs are not symbols encouraging you to talk like a pirate!) Once your child seat is connected to the ISOfix points it’s secure. It takes under a minute to fit and there’ll be no bumped elbows either.
Volkswagen offers a collection of baby and toddler accessories that make travelling with a young family easier. A great product is the inside rear-view mirror (suction-cap mounting) to keep a closer eye on little ones. Child-seat accessories include an underlay for the child-seat system, a G1 Isofix DUO plus top tether child seat (9 to 18kg), G2-3 Isofix pro child seat (15 to 36kg) and G2-4 Isofix backrest removal child seat (15 to 36kg). There are child locks on both rear doors in case the kids decide to pull on the door handle as they get bigger and inquisitive in the car.
Scoring 97% in ‘adult occupant protection’ and 86% for child safety in Euro NCAP safety tests, the T-Cross passed with flying colours, achieving a five-star rating – not a score that is seen in this segment or price point.
The seat-belt-reminder feature is activated for all seats, not just the front occupants. Driver and passenger seat belts are height-adjustable and the middle passenger for the second row gets a three-point seat belt, not the token lap belt. Bravo, VW!
This post is sponsored
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