New Nissan Juke 2020 scores big on crash testing

Nissan’s second-generation Juke small SUV has been awarded a maximum five-star Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) crash-test score, albeit under 2019 scoring criteria.

The new model, due to land in Australian showrooms in June, scored 94 per cent in the adult occupant protection test, 87 per cent in the child occupant protection assessment, 81 per cent in the vulnerable road user protection evaluation and 71 per cent in the safety assist category.

In the first test, the Juke dropped points for just ‘adequate’ protection of the driver’s chest, while the oblique pole test yielded a ‘marginal’ result in the same area.

The child occupant protection results revealed ‘adequate’ safety for the necks of rear-seat passengers, with points also docked for lacking integrated child restraints and a middle-seat Isofix point.

The vulnerable road user protection test showed that most of the bonnet of the Juke provides ‘good’ protection for pedestrians, but the base of the windscreen and A-pillars only offered ‘marginal’ and ‘poor’ safety.

However, the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system was praised for being able to detect pedestrians in both day- and night-time situations, as well as cyclists.

A strong list of standard safety equipment, which includes automatic headlights and high beams, blind-spot monitoring, driver fatigue warning, hill-start assist, lane departure warning and rear cross-traffic alert, with adaptive cruise control and tyre pressure monitoring as options.

ANCAP communication boss Rhianne Robson praised the new Nissan Juke small SUV for its inter-urban safety credentials.

“The safety of those outside the vehicle has also been considered in the design and specification of the Juke, with the front bumper providing good protection to the legs and pelvis of pedestrians, and its autonomous emergency braking function able to detect and avoid or mitigate collisions with pedestrians and cyclists across a range of speeds and scenarios,” she said.

“This is an important feature that buyers should be aware of, particularly since this vehicle is likely to be driven more in urban areas with high levels of pedestrian and cyclist activity.”

The ANCAP 2020 scoring regime is stricter again than the existing 2019 testing requirements.