New Subarus top score for crashes

SUBARU'S Liberty and Outback have been awarded the best ever five-star crashworthiness ratings in independent testing performed by the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) or its European equivalent, EuroNCAP.

Side and curtain airbag-equipped variants of Liberty and Outback have achieved ANCAP's highest recorded five-star points tally - 35.52 out of a possible 37.

In what is believed to be a world-first, even the non-side/curtain airbag equipped variants of both cars achieved five-star status, scoring 32.57, underlining their structural integrity.

The tests were performed in Japan using ANCAP test protocols and under ANCAP supervision, enabling the result to be issued soon after the Liberty and Outback’s Australian release.

The results mean that all Liberty and Outback models outrank key rivals in independent crashworthiness testing.

These include the side/curtain airbag-equipped Honda Accord, which scored 28 points in identical EuroNCAP testing, and the side/curtain airbag-equipped Mazda6, which scored 26 points in EuroNCAP.

ANCAP is backed by all the nation's motoring organizations and statutory transport bodies.

Its ratings are recognized by equivalent organisations in the USA, Europe, Japan and Korea, where crash testing is also performed and results shared with Australia.

Crash test procedures include a frontal offset crash at 64km/h, a side impact test at 50km/h and a pedestrian test, which indicates likely injuries to a person hit by a vehicle travelling at 40km/h.

ANCAP has also reviewed the results of recent crash tests conducted by the European equivalent of ANCAP, EuroNCAP, on a number of vehicles manufactured in Europe.

The Volvo XC90 has scored five stars along with the Saab 9-3 and 9-5, the Mercedes Benz C-class and the BMW X5. Several manufacturers now targeting five stars for all the vehicles in their range