Four stars for GM Holden's billion-dollar baby

GM HOLDEN'S billion-dollar VE Commodore has failed to achieve a maximum five-star crash test rating from the nation's peak automotive crash safety body, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

The new Commodore sedan and Toyota's new Aurion sedan both achieved a four-star rating, which matches that achieved previously by Ford's Falcon and Mitsubishi's 380, in the latest round of test results announced this week.

ANCAP's Victorian partners, the RACV, TAC and VicRoads, have hailed the four-star collision performance ranking now achieved by all four locally built large cars (from a total maximum of five stars) as "good news for Australian car buyers".

However, they added that they "are now looking forward to the Australian industry building a five-star car and joining several European and Japanese models which already rate five stars".

Toyota's other homegrown sedan, the medium-sized Camry, also scored four stars from ANCAP – as did its Tarago people-mover and Mitsubishi's new Triton utility, a model that last year attracted only two stars.

Finally, Hyundai's Accent posted a three-star ANCAP result, while the Mitsubishi Express van achieved just one star.

Side curtain or head airbags – which are effective in reducing head injuries in severe side pole crashes and, says ANCAP, should be standard in all vehicles – were not fitted to the versions of the Accent, Tarago, Camry or Commodore tested.

From top: Toyota Aurion, Mitsubishi Triton, Toyota Camry, Hyundai Accent and Mitsubishi Express (bottom).

All manufacturers of the locally tested vehicles declined ANCAP's pole test, which involves a vehicle travelling sideways at 29km/h into a round pole that is lined up with the driver's head and can result in extra point being scored. That includes Toyota, whose Camry and Aurion are fitted with head-protecting side curtain airbags.

According to ANCAP: "Previous pole tests conducted by ANCAP show that, in this type of test, a fatal head injury is certain without head-protecting side airbags."ANCAP also says electronic stability control (ESC) systems, which have been shown to reduce the risk of being involved in a crash, should also be standard in all vehicles. Currently stability control is standard in about 30 per cent of new passenger vehicles sold in Australia, including the locally manufactured Commodore and Aurion.

ANCAP, which is supported by all Australian and New Zealand motoring clubs, all Australian state governments, the New Zealand government and the FIA Foundation (but not the manufacturers, who insist their own internal crash tests are more exhaustive and accurate than ANCAP's one-off test), also stressed the correlation between stability control and a good crash test safety result.

Some of the best performing vehicles recently tested by ANCAP's European affiliate ENCAP feature stability control as standard, including Land Rover's upcoming Freelander 2, the all-new Honda CR-V, Holden Captiva, Audi Q7, Volkswagen Passat and Eos, Kia Magentis, Honda Legend, Citroen Picasso and Peugeot 207CC.

As previously reported by GoAuto, five-star ENCAP performers include the Toyota Corolla, Peugeot 207 and 207CC, Ford Focus XR5, Honda Legend, Land Rover Freelander 2, Citroen Picasso, Mitsubishi Outlander, Volvo C30, VW Passat and Mini Cooper.

The Audi Q7, Holden Captiva, Honda CR-V, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Magentis, VW Eos and Suzuki SX4 all achieved a four-star ENCAP result, while Chrysler's Voyager posted just two stars.

ANCAP said it was pleased that some manufacturers, including Ford, Toyota and Suzuki, will make ESC standard or optional on their models released or upgraded later this year. ESC is not yet available on the Toyota Corolla or Suzuki's Grand Vitara or SX4.

The ENCAP/ANCAP crash test comprises a frontal test, conducted at 64km/h and involving part of the front of the vehicle hitting a barrier, plus a side impact test that occurs at 50km/h. A separate pedestrian test employs a crash dummy that is struck at 29km/h.

Of the locally tested vehicles, only Tarago, Camry and Accent scored a two-star pedestrian impact safety rating (from a maximum of four), with Commodore, Aurion, Triton and Express all achieving just one star.

In Europe, the Grand Vitara, SX4, Corolla, 207 and Legend scored three stars for pedestrian safety, while Outlander, CR-V, Captiva, Q7, Focus, Passat, Sonata, Picasso and Mini posted two-star results. Magentis, C30 and Freelander 2 scored one.

ANCAP says it encourages new vehicle buyers to consider selecting vehicles with stability control and six airbags, including those that offer side head protection.