LandCruiser 300 Series scores five-star ANCAP rating

TOYOTA’S popular new LandCruiser 300 Series (LC300) has scored top safety marks in the latest round of ANCAP crash testing.

The five-star safety rating applies to all variants of the LC300, except the GR Sport, which was not assessed.

As the first vehicle to be crash tested for 2022, the Toyota LandCruiser set a high benchmark for others to follow… it received the second highest score to date for Vulnerable Road User protection under ANCAP’s strict new 2020-22 protocols with a grade of 81 per cent.

ANCAP said the LandCruiser can avoid collisions with pedestrians when turning across their path and showed good performance in all forward pedestrian autonomous emergency braking (AEB) tests with collisions “avoided or mitigated across all scenarios”.

“The protection the Toyota LandCruiser offers to vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, is impressive for a large SUV,” ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg said.

“Larger, heavier vehicles always present higher risks for other road users and this is why ANCAP focuses on a vehicle’s ability to either avoid a crash, or reduce its impact, through our suite of Safety Assist tests,” she added.

The LandCruiser performed well in Safety Assist tests, in which it achieved a 77 per cent score. ANCAP says the car-to-car performance of the LandCruiser’s AEB and lane-support systems operated as expected, “avoiding or mitigating collisions in most test scenarios”.

The LC300 also scored well in the assessment area of Adult Occupant Protection with an 89 per cent result. It did, however, present a higher risk to occupants of an oncoming vehicle, for which the full penalty for vehicle compatibility was applied.

Toyota’s LandCruiser also scored full points for protection offered to child occupants in the MPDB- and side-impact tests, with a score of 88 per cent in this assessment area. However, top tether anchorages are not available in the third row and installation of child restraints is not recommended in these seats.

ANCAP noted that although the LC300 was fitted with dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags, as well as driver- and passenger knee airbags, it wasn’t equipped with a centre airbag that may limit the movement of front-seat passengers from one side of the vehicle to another. 

Despite this, the model performed very well in side-impact tests with full points awarded. 

“The safety specifications in the new generation Toyota LandCruiser are a welcome update to its predecessor,” Ms Hoorweg added.

“The five-star ANCAP safety rating awarded to the Toyota LandCruiser will be good news for fleet buyers, rural users and families across Australia and New Zealand.”