We've added HBA to help you avoid accidents. How? By helping you brake harder in an emergency, and reducing stopping distances.
Every Volkswagen comes with a powerful and sophisticated braking system. But we've gone a step further with the Polo by including HBA. What it does HBA boosts braking performance in an emergency by making sure the brakes perform to their maximum. It monitors how quickly and how hard the brake pedal is pushed. Once it detects an emergency, HBA increases braking pressure and activates ABS. The result It can dramatically reduce braking distances.
Over the years, anti-lock brakes (ABS) have saved many lives, even in the most severe accidents. With the help of advanced electronics, ABS detects when a wheel is about to lock to prevent a car skidding. However, ABS cannot ensure that your brakes are being pushed as hard as possible in an emergency. That's the job of Hydraulic Brake Assist (also know as the Brake Assist System - BAS) What it does HBA detects how quickly you take your foot off the throttle and how rapidly - and how hard - you then jump on the brakes. If the system recognises that you're in a hurry to stop, it rushes to your aid. By fully opening valves in the hydraulic braking system, HBA makes sure the brakes are applied as forcibly as possible. And it makes sure that pressure is maintained even if you don't - or can't - keep pressing the pedal as hard as you would like. The result? With HBA, a car needs 25 per cent less space to stop than a car equipped with HBA only. That could be the difference between an accident and a 'lucky' escape.