Four major models get top safety score

THE new BMW 3 Series, Mazda CX-5, Hyundai i30 and Peugeot 208 have all received maximum five-star safety ratings in the latest round of crash tests by the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP).

The four models, which are all volume-sellers for their brands and are either recently released or soon to be launched in Australia, all met Euro NCAP’s tougher 2012 standards in areas such as pedestrian protection.

Expect each of these results to be carried over to Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) ratings, which are regularly based on data sourced from the ENCAP results.

Euro NCAP also awarded its respected ‘Advanced’ reward rating to Audi for its ‘Pre sense front plus’ radar-guided crash mitigation technology, which is available on the new A6 mid-size luxury car.

The sixth-generation 3 Series, which was released here in February and will get two new entry variants next week, was tested as a left-hand-drive 320d diesel-powered variant and rated very highly in three out of four testing areas – adult protection (95 per cent), pedestrian protection (78 per cent) and safety assist (86 per cent).

However, the Beemer’s 84 per cent score for child protection was worse than both the Mazda CX-5 compact SUV (87 per cent) and Hyundai i30 small hatch (90 per cent).

From top: Hyundai i30, Mazda CX-5 and Peugeot 208.

The second-generation i30, set for an Australian launch next week, matched the 3 Series for safety assist courtesy of stability control and seat belt reminders, and scored 67 per cent in pedestrian assist.

The Korean entrant also scored a high 90 per cent for adult protection, despite “weak protection of the chest” in the side-impact pole test.

The 2.2-litre diesel CX-5 tested managed 94 per cent for adult protection and was the only vehicle to score the maximum eight points for both the side barrier and pole tests. It scored 64 per cent for pedestrian protection and 86 per cent for safety assist.

The CX-5 was launched in Australia as a petrol-only model in February before being joined by the diesel in March, and in April was the nation’s top-selling compact SUV.

The Peugeot 208 light car, which will be launched locally at the Sydney motor show in October, scored 88 per cent for adult occupancy, 78 per cent for child protection and 83 per cent for safety assist, but only 61 per cent for pedestrian protection.

This result was just enough for the small Pug to clear the minimum threshold of 60 per cent needed for a vehicle to be awarded five stars under the more stringent 2012 testing regime.

ENCAP Secretary general Michiel van Ratingen praised the CX-5 and 3 Series for offering autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems, which he believes will lower incident rates on the road.

“If all cars were fitted with AEB systems, many crashes could be mitigated or avoided altogether on European roads,” he said.

“The Mazda CX-5, which has AEB fitted largely as standard equipment in Europe, is therefore a good example for other manufacturers to follow as Euro NCAP intends to assess AEB in future testing procedures.”

All CX-5s sold in Australia come with emergency brake assist functionality as standard, while all 3 Series models get both brake assist and Dynamic Brake Lights that flicker under extreme braking.

ENCAP has also announced it will reveal and demonstrate “the next phase” of its safety program on June 13 – its 15th anniversary. The organisation has announced it will place more emphasis on preventative safety technologies such as AEBs in the future.