New and familiar SUVs arrive with five-star safety, four-star for Hyundai Inster

• ANCAP safety ratings are now available for a mix of new and familiar models.
• Appealing to a range of buyers, the Polestar 4 and Subaru Forester have earnt five-star ANCAP safety ratings.
• The Hyundai Inster has received a four-star rating.

Polestar 4

Equalling the second-highest Adult Occupant Protection score under ANCAP’s current assessment criteria (92%), the Polestar 4 was awarded full points for driver protection in the side impact and oblique pole crash tests. Full points were also awarded for the adult passengers in the frontal offset and full width frontal crash tests. Maximum scores were recorded for protection of child occupants in the frontal offset and side impact crash tests.

Equipped with a suite of collision avoidance features, the Polestar 4 performed well across the range of on-track emergency braking and lane support system tests in scenarios designed to test the vehicle’s ability to avoid crashes with other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.

“Establishing a solid product line-up, this five-star rating now sees the Polestar 2, Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 all carry the top level of safety,” said Carla Hoorweg, ANCAP Chief Executive Officer.

Subaru Forester

“The new-generation Subaru Forester extends the model’s impressive safety lineage, achieving five-star safety with strong performance across the board,” Ms Hoorweg said.

Popular among both families and fleet buyers, the Forester – in both hybrid and petrol configurations – reached five-star thresholds with ease across all areas of ANCAP’s assessment. Child Occupant Protection and Vulnerable Road User Protection were standouts with scores of 91% and 86% respectively.

Maximum points were awarded for driver protection in the destructive side impact, oblique pole, and full width crash tests, although the latter saw Weak chest protection for the adult passenger seated in the second row.

Like all models included in this release, the Forester is equipped with a centre airbag to assist with protection of front seat occupant in side impact crashes. The centre airbag fitted to the Forester limited occupant movement toward the other side of the vehicle but was found to offer reduced head protection when the vehicle was struck on the passenger side – as the design is asymmetric – resulting in a 1.00 point penalty.

Hyundai Inster

The compact Hyundai Inster has received a four-star ANCAP safety rating. The Inster performed well in collision avoidance tests, however its crash protection attributes – namely, how well the vehicle’s structure and airbags protect occupants – are what held the Inster within four-star territory.

The Inster just reached the four-star threshold for Adult Occupant Protection with the threshold-matching score of 70%. Marginal chest protection was common across the frontal offset, full width frontal and oblique pole tests. In the frontal offset test, the driver’s airbag did not fully prevent head contact with the steering wheel – known as ‘bottoming out’ – and a penalty was applied.

In the side impact test, pelvis protection of the driver was assessed as Adequate, and the chest protection for the 10-year-old child dummy was Poor. Following this test, the driver’s door was found to be unlatched, presenting the potential for the door to open and compromise the safety of those in the cabin. A further penalty was applied.

Crash avoidance-wise, the Inster offers a reasonable level of performance with a Safety Assist score of 69%.

“The Hyundai Inster enters a highly-competitive segment, and while some may suggest safety isn’t important for the smaller end of the market, in fact the opposite is true. Smaller vehicles, by physical size, are at a disadvantage out on the road, so having a well-rounded level of structural safety as well as the ability to avoid a crash is critical for those looking to purchase a smaller vehicle,” said Ms Hoorweg.

Full details on each of the above models can be viewed at www.ancap.com.au.