2017 Toyota C-HR scores five ANCAP stars

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has awarded Toyota's C-HR a maximum five-star safety rating, which coincides with the new model arriving in local showrooms this week.

Crash testing for the hybrid version of the compact SUV was conducted overseas by Euro NCAP, but the results were modified to reflect Australian standards – despite the fact the petrol-electric variant is  currently not offered locally.

A final score 33.18 out of 38 in adult occupant protection testing was the C-HR's best result, including 7.62 out of eight for the full width frontal test and 6.91 out of eight in the frontal offset test.

'Acceptable' chest protection for the driver and occupant was to blame for lost points in the full width frontal test, while frontal offset testing showed acceptable levels of protection for the driver's chest and lower legs, and the right lower leg of the front passenger.

However, Toyota's newest model scored a maximum eight points in both the side impact and pole tests, while it was assessed a 2.65 out of three for whiplash testing – which still warranted the highest 'good' rating.

Six-year-old children were assessed to be safer than ten-year-olds inside the vehicle, as the C-HR achieved a score of 38.03 out of 49 for child occupant protection – but child-friendly safety features and child seat installation points were awarded extra points.

Overall, safety assistance systems scored 8.18 out of 12, largely thanks to a lack of speed assistance technology.

Despite most areas scoring well, pedestrian protection was judged as 'acceptable' thanks to a rating of 27.44 out of 42, which was due to poor protection from the top of the front bumper and the A-pillars.

Meanwhile, the SUV went scoreless when testing its auto emergency braking (AEB) system in this category, due to the version used in local examples not functioning effectively at speeds below 20km/h and lacking pedestrian recognition like its European counterparts.

Overall, safety assistance systems scored 8.18 out of 12, largely thanks to a lack of speed assistance technology – which translated to a zero out of three rating.

Seatbelt reminders netted the maximum three points, while lane keeping and city AEB systems were given a 2.5 and 2.68 out of three, respectively.

Auto braking performance was assessed a 2.68 out of three overall, with scores of 1.47 out of 1.5 for AEB, 0.96 out of 1.0 for forward collision warning (FCW), and 0.25 out of 0.5 for human machine interface (HMI).

All C-HR variants offer AEB, lane support and pre-collision systems as standard, as well as dual frontal, side chest, curtain and driver's knee airbags.

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