ANCAP: Volvo XC60 stars in safety tests

VOLVO’S second-generation XC60 medium SUV has set a new benchmark in two tests on the way to a maximum five-star rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

Originally tested by Euro NCAP, the XC60 recorded a 98 per cent score for adult occupant protection and 95 per cent for safety assist, both of which were the highest scores to date.

The XC60 trumped its larger stablemates, the XC90 – which was the previous record-holder for adult occupant protection – and the S90 sedan, which held the safety assist benchmark.

ANCAP CEO James Goodwin was quick to praise the bar-raising XC60.

“High levels of protection were recorded for occupants in all four crash tests, with only the chest of the rear passenger in the full width test and the lower legs of the driver in the frontal offset test seeing points deducted,” he said.

“This model is fitted as standard with an autonomous emergency braking system which operates at high and low speeds and can detect pedestrians. Performance testing of this system earned the vehicle full points.

“It also has an intelligent speed assistance system which uses a camera to recognise and inform the driver of the local speed limit.”

With the adult occupant protection consisting of six individual tests, the XC60 aced three – the side impact test, pole test and city autonomous emergency braking (AEB) test.

The full width frontal test returned a score of 7.58 out of eight, with ‘marginal’ protection for the rear passenger’s chest, while ‘good’ ratings were recorded elsewhere.

Volvo’s newest model fared even better in the frontal offset test, with 7.82 out of eight, with the driver’s lower legs recording ‘acceptable’ damage, and again, ‘good’ results elsewhere.

The whiplash protection test netted a score of 2.85 out of three, with ‘good’ results for front and rear occupants.

For child occupant protection, the XC60 scored 42.86 out of 49, or 87 per cent, with nearly identical results for the six- and 10-year-old test dummies.

The frontal offset test yielded ‘acceptable’ protection for the neck of the ten-year old and chest of the six-year old, with ‘good’ ratings recorded for all other body parts, and the whole of the side impact test.

In the pedestrian protection test, a score of 76 per cent (31.93 out of 42) was recorded, with ‘good’ protection offered for the lower bumper, middle upper bumper and much of the bonnet.

The only ‘poor’ ratings were around the headlights and A-pillars, while the vehicle’s AEB system recorded full marks.

Its record 95 per cent safety assist mark came courtesy of full marks for seat belt reminders and interurban AEB.

The XC60 scored full points for its forward collision warning and AEB systems in a range of tests encompassing approaching a stationary vehicle, approaching a slow-moving vehicle, and approaching a braking vehicle with both short and long headway.

Fitment of lane keep assist as standard equipment meant a near-perfect 2.9 out of three for lane support systems, while speed assistance systems scored 2.5 out of three, with only half marks awarded for the vehicle’s speed information display.

The rating applies to all variants bar the top-spec T8 hybrid, which went untested.