New dual-cab utes 2020 compared: How safe are 4x2 and 4x4 mid-size pick-ups?

Nissan gave its Navara ute an update last week, but crucially it was missing the overdue addition of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and other crucial advanced-driver assist systems, which got us thinking about the level of safety dual-cab pick-ups currently offer.

Some (Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton) lead from the front not only in sales, but also safety, with comprehensive suites available.

Conversely, others (Mazda BT-50 and Volkswagen Amarok) are showing their age and have little to offer in the way of active features.

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There’s also a couple of newcomers (LDV T60 and SsangYong Musso) that put their more established rivals to shame, even if just a little bit.

And with Isuzu and Great Wall introducing new-generation models (D-Max and Cannon respectively) around the middle of this year, the safety ante is likely to be upped again.

Note: The following table compares 4x2 and 4x4 mid-size dual-cab pick-ups only. And given their recent discontinuations, the Holden Colorado and Mercedes-Benz X-Class have been excluded here.

	Toyota HiLux	Ford Ranger	Mitsu-bishi Triton	Nissan Navara	Isuzu D-Max	Mazda BT-50	Volks-wagen Amarok	LDV T60	Great Wall Steed	Ssang-Yong Musso
ANCAP safety rating (year issued)	5 (2019)	5 (2015)	5 (2015)	5 (2015)	5 (2013)	5 (2011)	5 (2011)	5 (2017)	2 (2016)	N/A
Forward collision warning	Std	Std	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Std
Auton-omous emergency braking (AEB)	Std	Std	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Std
Pedes-trian detection	Std	Std	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Cyclist dete-ction	Std (daylight)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Lane departure warning	Std	Std	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Std
Lane-keep assist	N/A	Std	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Steering assist	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Blind-spot monitoring	N/A	N/A	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Std	N/A	Opt
Rear cross-traffic alert	N/A	N/A	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Opt
Adaptive cruise control	Std	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Speed sign recognition	Std	Std	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Traffic sign recognition	Std	Std	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
High-beam assist	Std	Std	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Std
Driver attention alert	N/A	Std	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Std	N/A	N/A
Tyre pressure monitoring	N/A	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Opt	Std	Std	Opt
Rever-sing camera	Std	Std	Opt	Std	Opt	Std	Opt	Std	N/A	Opt
Surr-ound-view cameras	N/A	N/A	Opt	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	Opt	N/A	Opt
Park assist	N/A	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Rear parking sensors	Opt	Opt	Opt	Opt	Opt	Opt	Opt	Std	Std	Opt
Front parking sensors	Opt	Opt	Opt	N/A	Opt	Opt	Opt	N/A	N/A	Opt
Airbags	7	6	7	7	6	6	4	6	6	6
Hill-start assist	Std	Std	Std	Opt	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std
Hill-descent control	Std	Std	Opt	Opt	Std	Opt	Std	Std	N/A	Std
Anti-lock brakes (ABS)	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std
Elect-ronic stability control (ESC)	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std

Legend

Std: Standard

Opt: Optional

N/A: Not Available

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