02 Feb 2011

Suzuki joins ANCAP's 5 star safety club

Australia’s leading independent vehicle safety advocate, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), has welcomed Suzuki's efforts to improve vehicle safety with the announcement of 5 star ratings for the 2011 Suzuki Kizashi and Swift models.

ANCAP also announced 5 star ratings for Audi A1 and 4WD variants of the Kia Sportage, a 4 star rating for the diesel Jaguar XF and a 3-star rating for the Proton S16. The ratings are based on crash tests conducted by ANCAP or its sister program, EuroNCAP, based on international crash testing protocols.

ANCAP Chair, Lauchlan McIntosh, congratulated Suzuki for focussing on safety in its 2011 models and said it was pleasing to see more manufacturers stepping up to the 5 star mark.

“ANCAP works well with all sectors of the automotive industry in identifying important safety features, advocating for their incorporation into production processes, and then testing the new vehicles to see if they are up to the 5 star mark,” Mr McIntosh said.

“Crash tests showed the Swift and the Kizashi held the shape of the passenger compartment well. Occupants were well protected with seven airbags, including a driver knee airbag, all standard equipment in the 2011 models. Electronic stability control is also standard on both models.

“The Audi A1 and Sportage 4WD variants also scored 5 stars, but by comparison the Proton S16 scored an ordinary 3 star rating.

“While we are seeing a majority of new vehicles with 5 star ratings, it is disappointing to still see 3 star results coming through the crash program. The S16 performed poorly in the side impact test, with a high risk of life-threatening chest injury. These days most cars perform very well in this test, so the S16 outcome is a concern.

“The luxury Jaguar XF provided marginal chest and leg protection for the driver in the offset test. This meant it was not eligible for a 5 star rating from ANCAP.”

For a full list of ANCAP’s vehicle safety ratings, including more commercial vehicles, and other vehicle safety information, go to ancap.com.au. ANCAP is supported by all Australian and New Zealand motoring clubs, the Australian Government, the New Zealand Government, all Australian state governments, the Victorian Transport Accident Commission, NRMA Insurance & the FIA Foundation.

Suzuki Swift (2011 - May 2017) frontal offset test at 64km/h

Audi A1 (2010 - onward) frontal offset test at 64km/h

Kia Sportage (2010 - onward) frontal offset test at 64km/h

Jaguar XF (2010 - onward) frontal offset test at 64km/h