Five stars for Land Rover Discovery 5

LAND Rover’s all-new fifth-generation Discovery large SUV has been awarded a five-star safety rating by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), ahead of its arrival on Australian shores next month.

The new Discovery scored well in the adult occupant protection segment, and was consistent across the board, scoring no lower than 73 per cent in any test category.

It achieved scores of 7.33 out of eight for the full width frontal test and 6.88 out of eight for the frontal offset test, offering ‘good’ protection for the upper legs of all occupants, but only ‘acceptable’ protection for the driver’s chest, while the rear passenger’s chest protection in the full width frontal test was rated as ‘marginal’.

ANCAP also noted that pressure in the driver’s airbag was insufficient, leading to the dummy’s head making contact with the steering wheel during the frontal offset test.

The side impact test and pole test returned strong scores of 7.5 and eight out of eight, respectively, however the whiplash protection test scored only 1.63 out of three, due to ‘poor’ rear protection.

Also scoring strongly was the Discovery’s city autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, which recorded a near-perfect score of 2.92 out of three.

Child occupant protection registered a score of 39.45 out of 49 or 80 per cent, achieving almost the same score for a six-year-old and ten-year-old child, with good results in the lateral impact test.

For safety assistance systems, the Discovery scored 8.8 out of 12, or 73 per cent, with the car’s interurban AEB achieving a score of 2.6 out of three.

Encompassing trials of its AEB and forward collision warning (FCW) systems, the Discovery scored well when approaching a stationary vehicle and slow-moving vehicle, while the approaching a braking vehicle with both small and long headway proved to be a tougher challenge for the AEB system.

Score breakdowns included 1.31 out of 1.5 for AEB, 0.92 out of one for FCW and 0.38 out of 0.5 for human machine interface.

Three out of three seatbelt reminders were fitted, speed assistance systems scored 1.5 out of three due to lack of speed information, while lane support systems scored 1.7 out of three with lane departure warning fitted as standard.

Pedestrian protection was rated at 31.67 out of 42, or 75 per cent, with most impact locations offering good or adequate head protection to struck pedestrians.

The lower and central front bumper, as well as the majority of the bonnet offered good protection, while the A-pillar and some parts of the front bonnet received poor results.

Strong AEB results continued, with the Discovery’s system scoring full points for pedestrian protection.

Standard equipment on the Discovery 5 includes curtain airbags on all three rows (providing the third row is fitted), a manual speed limiter and emergency stop signal.

ANCAP CEO James Goodwin said the new Discovery impressed with its standard autonomous braking features.

“The Discovery earned its 5 star safety rating showing strengths in structure, design and equipment,” he said.

“The Discovery is fitted as standard with all three grades of autonomous emergency braking – City, Interurban and Vulnerable Road User – and all performed well during testing.”