Mercedes X-Class, VW Polo, Jag E-Pace, BMW X2 awarded five ANCAP stars

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has this week pinned five-star safety ratings to the Mercedes-Benz X-Class, Volkswagen Polo, Jaguar E-Pace and BMW X2.

All four vehicles are fitted with auto emergency braking (AEB) across the board, with the X-Class the first light-commercial vehicle (LCV) to be equipped with AEB as standard in Australia, an inclusion ANCAP chief executive James Goodwin hopes other utility vehicles will follow.

“This is a game-changer for the ute market and puts pressure on competing brands. The light commercial vehicle segment has generally lagged passenger cars and SUVs with regard to safety specification, so the inclusion of AEB as standard across the X-Class range is to be commended,” he said.

The X-Class the first light-commercial vehicle (LCV) to be equipped with AEB as standard in Australia.

The Volkswagen Polo led the pack in adult occupant protection, scoring 36.71 points out of 38 (96 per cent). 'Good' protection was recorded in most tests, though the Polo lost a few points with only 'adequate' driver chest protection in the frontal offset test, and ‘adequate’ rear passenger chest protection in the full width frontal assessment.

Meanwhile, the X-Class managed to score 90 per cent in the adult occupant protection, with the Benz dropping points for ‘marginal’ protection of the driver’s chest in the frontal offset test, and ‘good’ protection of the rear passenger chest in the full width frontal test.

Similarly, the BMW X2 also nabbed a 90 per cent score in adult occupant protection, with the new SUV losing points for ‘marginal’ and ‘adequate’ protection of the driver’s and front passenger's chest respectively in the frontal offset test.

The Jaguar E-Pace however, was the lowest scoring of the pack with an 86 per cent score. The frontal offset test saw ‘adequate’ protection of the driver’s head, ‘weak’ protection of the driver’s lower leg and ‘marginal’ protection of the driver’s chest.

The Jaguar E-Pace however, was the lowest scoring of the pack with an 86 per cent score.

Both full width frontal tests for the BMW and Jaguar revealed ‘adequate’ protection for driver and rear passenger chest regions.

For child occupant protection however, the X-Class, X2 and E-Pace trio scored 87 per cent, with the Polo following closely at 85 per cent.

In the pedestrian protection test, the Mercedes-Benz score 80 per cent, or 33.9 points out of 42, followed by the Jaguar, Volkswagen and BMW on 77, 76 and 74 per cent respectively.

The Volkswagen Polo took bottom marks in the safety assist category, scoring 59 per cent, or 7.17 points out of 12. At the time of test, the new Polo was not available with a lane support system (LSS), losing three points as a result, while the speed assistance systems scored 1.5 out of three and the AEB test netted 2.67 out of three.

The Volkswagen Polo took bottom marks in the safety assist category, scoring 59 per cent, or 7.17 points out of 12.

The three other models were equipped with lane departure warning, which helped push their scores to 70 percent for the X2, and 72 per cent for the E-Pace and X-Class.

BMW’s latest crossover scored 1.33 for speed assistance systems and 1.78 for AEB, both out of a possible three, while the electronic stability control and seat belt reminders netted the maximum score of three each. The lack of LSS (Lane Support Systems) dropped the safety assist score of the X2 by one point.

The X-Class on the other hand, score 1.5 for speed assistance systems, three for seat belt reminders, 1.7 for LSS and 2.55 for AEB for a total score of 8.75 out of 12 in safety assist testing.

Jaguar’s E-Pace managed 8.71 out of 12 in the safety assist category, chalking up 1.25 points for speed assistance systems, three points for seat belt reminders, 1.9 points for LSS and 2.56 for AEB.

Do you think more light-commercial vehicles should be fitted with AEB as standard? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.