Shock ANCAP result for Hyundai Tucson

HYUNDAI has suffered an unexpected set-back with its new Tucson SUV, with the mid-sized ix35 replacement scoring just four stars in the latest round of crash testing by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

This is in direct contrast to the European-spec car, which has received a five-star Euro NCAP rating.

While the Tucson Active X front-wheel drive that was tested by ANCAP at its Sydney facility scored highly across the gamut of the ANCAP tests – including six perfect scores for occupant protection from a possible eight – it was marked down for exposing the driver’s lower left leg to injury in the 64km/h frontal offset crash test.

As a result, ANCAP marked it 0.41 out of a possible four for the ‘occupant safety: lower leg’ category, dragging its result down to a final score of four stars out of a possible five.

“The result is disappointing and unexpected for a new vehicle in this competitive class,” ANCAP chief executive officer James Goodwin said. “Testing revealed the structural integrity of the driver footwell was compromised in the frontal offset test and there was also excessive movement of the brake pedal, meaning the vehicle could not achieve five stars.”

The Tucson went on sale in September, and has already notched up 1881 sales in Australia, with its 847 tally in October the sixth-best result in the competitive medium-SUV segment.

“While the Tucson performed well overall, and is inherently strong and safe, it is not the maximum five-star result we hoped it would achieve,” said HMCA public relations manager Bill Thomas in a statement.

“It does not match the five-star Euro NCAP rating recently awarded to Tucson, nor does it match the five-star score achieved by Hyundai Motor Company during its own internal testing.

“Hyundai Motor Company engineers are currently examining the data from the ANCAP 64km/h frontal offset test in order to determine what changes may be necessary to achieve a five-star score.”

ANCAP has indicated that it will re-test the Tucson once HMC has completed its own internal investigation. GoAuto understands that HMC engineers have flown in from Seoul to work with HMCA personnel, with a view to retesting the car before the end of the year.

The issue with the Tucson mimics sister company Kia’s dramas with its Carnival people-mover, which also scored just four stars in ANCAP testing after an unsatisfactory level of intrusion into the driver’s area was noted.