Holden Astra sedan and Subaru XV score five star ANCAP safety rating

Holden's new Astra sedan and the imminent Subaru XV crossover have both been awarded five stars from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) in the latest round of crash testing.

In handing down the latest scores, the crash safety watchdog took a swipe at Subaru for not offering autonomous emergency braking (AEB) as standard on the base variant, and Holden for not making the technology available on any Astra sedan.

The South Korean-built Astra sedan goes on sale next month and is based on the Chevrolet Cruze.

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The Astra sedan achieved an overall score of 34.94 points out of 37.

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ANCAP chief executive officer James Goodwin warned that if car makers want a five-star rating for their cars, they must be fitted with AEB as standard from January 1 next year as the organisation brings its test protocols into line with Euro ANCAP.

"It is disappointing autonomous emergency braking is not available across the board on two new models, and we continue to encourage consumers to ask for, and brands to offer, this potentially life-saving technology," he said.

"As our requirements become more stringent next year, it will not be possible for new models to achieve a five-star ANCAP safety rating without an effective AEB system fitted as standard."

While the Astra sedan is not offered with AEB, even as an option, the hatch comes with AEB for city driving on all but the base R variant.

The South Korean-built Astra sedan goes on sale next month and is based on the Chevrolet Cruze, but Holden has elected to dub it Astra to keep it in line with its new small hatch that was launched in December last year.

Despite sharing the same GM Delta II platform as the hatch, ANCAP determined that the two models were different enough in structure, specification and manufacturing source to warrant a separate crash test for the sedan.

The Astra sedan achieved an overall score of 34.94 points out of 37, with lower leg protection and driver chest protection rated as 'acceptable', as well as front-seat passenger chest protection. The pedestrian protection rating was also 'acceptable'.

The Astra sedan performed better than its hatch stablemate that scored 32.86 points for adult protection – losing points for chest and lower leg impact – to also nab a five-star rating.

While the Astra sedan is not offered with AEB, even as an option, the hatch comes with AEB for city driving on all but the base R variant.

Lane support systems (LSS) which will also be mandatory come next year is offered as an option on the Astra sedan.

The Subaru XV has AEB and LSS on higher-spec variants as options or standard equipment, but the base model has neither.

ANCAP gave the Subaru XV its five-star rating based on the crash performance of its hatch and sedan twin under the skin, the Impreza, which was launched in December last year and shares the same underpinnings and sourcing.

The Impreza achieved a five-star rating last November, scoring 35.8 points out of a possible 37 for adult occupant protection, only losing 1.2 points for 'acceptable' lower leg and driver chest protection in the frontal offset crash test. Pedestrian protection was rated as 'good'.

All of the scores were carried over for the XV which rolls into showrooms in Australia next month.

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