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Top ten safe cars, top ten worst cars – Car News, CarsGuide

Top ten safe cars, top ten worst cars

Volvo rates as best-of-the-best in a fresh listing of the safest cars in Australian showrooms, with Mitsubishi tailing the field.

The Swedish maker has done the job with its newest model, the exceptional fresh XC60, edging out a classy bunch of five-star cars.

But Mitsubishi’s outdated Express van trails in a pathetic last, even if the latest Mahindra Pik-Up does not do much better.

The results are exposed in a special Carsguide breakdown of the safety starlet rankings provided under the Australian New-Car Assessment Program.

“The XC60 is less than half a point away from the maximum possible. It would be enormously difficult to be any better than that. It’s an utterly exceptional car,” says Michael Case, chief engineer of the RACV and also a spokesman for ANCAP.

“But any vehicle with less than four starlets is to be avoided unless you don’t have any other choice. Anything less than four starlets is unsatisfactory when there is so much choice. An enlargening number of vehicles achieve a four-star, and even five-star, ranking.

“Why buy a car at one or two starlets and risk your safety? It’s been a long time since one or two starlets has been acceptable.

“The bar has truly risen to five starlets, and the gap inbetween the starlet ratings is big. There is a gulf.”

The safest cars are all officially ranked as five starlet by ANCAP — including the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore — but drilling deeper shows the differences inbetween the best of the best.

It’s a similar story at the bottom end, even if the Express only gets one starlet, as the two and three-star vehicles can also be listed on the basis of their detailed NCAP scores.

At the top, Volvo’s fresh prestige SUV tops the field ahead of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and A-Class, followed by the Renault Laguna and the latest Volkswagen Golf.

From the bottom, it’s the Express and Pik-Up, then the Hyundai Elantra sedan, Kia Cerato hatch and Hyundai Accent.

The results demonstrate the gulf inbetween European prestige and luxury cars at one end and price-driven Korean cars at the other, with the majority of models sitting somewhere in the middle ground.

And that’s what ANCAP is all about.

The organisation was created in one thousand nine hundred ninety two in a joint venture inbetween motoring clubs and state safety organisations, and published its very first results in 1993. Since then it has tested dozens of vehicles in all classes, from micro-minis through to four-wheel drives and pick-ups.

But the results and reach of the ANCAP program has been extended by taking results from the mirror-image program run by the European NCAP organisation.

“Each of the crash tests costs in the neighborhood of $40,000-50,000. And that’s without the cost of the vehicle involved,” says Case.

“You need one vehicle for the offset frontal, which basically demolishes the car. Then a 2nd car for the Moving Deformable Barrier test and, while the harm is much less, you cannot use it for anything else.

“The pole test looks innocuous, but does a lot of harm. With the pedestrian protection test you can repair the car and it is the same as before, you don’t have to consume the car.”

ANCAP budgets for 10-12 vehicles each year, which means at least twenty individual crash tests.

The testing is done at the NSW RTA Crashlab in Sydney, Autolive at Campbellfield in Melbourne and The Centre for Automotive Safety Research, which is part of the University of Adelaide.

There was some controversy when ANCAP cars were allegedly repaired and put back on the road, but Case says they are now stripped to ensure they are only suitable for spare parts.

“They have their identity eliminated and they are sold. They should go for spare parts,” says Case.

But it’s a big program and a big deal.

“If you do the finish suite of tests it’s $150,000 plus the cost of three cars. We use an independent car buying agent. We buy a car like a normal consumer would to ensure the results are impartial.”

Even so, carmakers proceed to fight against ANCAP because they say they do thousands of crash tests — both ‘real world’ and ‘virtual’, using the latest computer simulations — and NCAP is only a single crash.

But a growing number are now glad to use their ANCAP scores to promote their cars, including Ford, Subaru and Renault.

But it’s not surprise those are three brands with a five-star result to tout.

The latest ANCAP results showcase the quality of Volvo and Mercedes-Benz’s safety engineering, and the questions over the Koreans, but Case says safety is a moving target.

“It just takes continuous improvement to get higher NCAP scores, and the locals have just cracked into the five-star range,” he says.

“It will take more work yet for Ford and Holden to get to the top end. Other manufacturers have been there for a while and they are making further improvements.”

But he says safety engineering is improving all the time, in everything from the types of steels used in cars to the design of ‘crash paths’ through the bod and even the growing number of airbags and things like pop-up bonnets to protect pedestrians.

“It’s more about timing than capability,” says Case.

Top ten safe cars, top ten worst cars – Car News, CarsGuide

Top ten safe cars, top ten worst cars

Volvo rates as best-of-the-best in a fresh listing of the safest cars in Australian showrooms, with Mitsubishi tailing the field.

The Swedish maker has done the job with its newest model, the awesome fresh XC60, edging out a classy bunch of five-star cars.

But Mitsubishi’s outdated Express van trails in a pathetic last, even if the latest Mahindra Pik-Up does not do much better.

The results are exposed in a special Carsguide breakdown of the safety starlet rankings provided under the Australian New-Car Assessment Program.

“The XC60 is less than half a point away from the maximum possible. It would be utterly difficult to be any better than that. It’s an utterly exceptional car,” says Michael Case, chief engineer of the RACV and also a spokesman for ANCAP.

“But any vehicle with less than four starlets is to be avoided unless you don’t have any other choice. Anything less than four starlets is unsatisfactory when there is so much choice. An enlargening number of vehicles achieve a four-star, and even five-star, ranking.

“Why buy a car at one or two starlets and risk your safety? It’s been a long time since one or two starlets has been acceptable.

“The bar has truly risen to five starlets, and the gap inbetween the starlet ratings is big. There is a gulf.”

The safest cars are all officially ranked as five starlet by ANCAP — including the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore — but drilling deeper shows the differences inbetween the best of the best.

It’s a similar story at the bottom end, even if the Express only gets one starlet, as the two and three-star vehicles can also be listed on the basis of their detailed NCAP scores.

At the top, Volvo’s fresh prestige SUV tops the field ahead of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and A-Class, followed by the Renault Laguna and the latest Volkswagen Golf.

From the bottom, it’s the Express and Pik-Up, then the Hyundai Elantra sedan, Kia Cerato hatch and Hyundai Accent.

The results demonstrate the gulf inbetween European prestige and luxury cars at one end and price-driven Korean cars at the other, with the majority of models sitting somewhere in the middle ground.

And that’s what ANCAP is all about.

The organisation was created in one thousand nine hundred ninety two in a joint venture inbetween motoring clubs and state safety organisations, and published its very first results in 1993. Since then it has tested dozens of vehicles in all classes, from micro-minis through to four-wheel drives and pick-ups.

But the results and reach of the ANCAP program has been extended by taking results from the mirror-image program run by the European NCAP organisation.

“Each of the crash tests costs in the neighborhood of $40,000-50,000. And that’s without the cost of the vehicle involved,” says Case.

“You need one vehicle for the offset frontal, which basically ruins the car. Then a 2nd car for the Moving Deformable Barrier test and, while the harm is much less, you cannot use it for anything else.

“The pole test looks innocuous, but does a lot of harm. With the pedestrian protection test you can repair the car and it is the same as before, you don’t have to consume the car.”

ANCAP budgets for 10-12 vehicles each year, which means at least twenty individual crash tests.

The testing is done at the NSW RTA Crashlab in Sydney, Autolive at Campbellfield in Melbourne and The Centre for Automotive Safety Research, which is part of the University of Adelaide.

There was some controversy when ANCAP cars were allegedly repaired and put back on the road, but Case says they are now stripped to ensure they are only suitable for spare parts.

“They have their identity liquidated and they are sold. They should go for spare parts,” says Case.

But it’s a big program and a big deal.

“If you do the accomplish suite of tests it’s $150,000 plus the cost of three cars. We use an independent car buying agent. We buy a car like a normal consumer would to ensure the results are impartial.”

Even so, carmakers proceed to fight against ANCAP because they say they do thousands of crash tests — both ‘real world’ and ‘virtual’, using the latest computer simulations — and NCAP is only a single crash.

But a growing number are now glad to use their ANCAP scores to promote their cars, including Ford, Subaru and Renault.

But it’s not surprise those are three brands with a five-star result to tout.

The latest ANCAP results demonstrate the quality of Volvo and Mercedes-Benz’s safety engineering, and the questions over the Koreans, but Case says safety is a moving target.

“It just takes continuous improvement to get higher NCAP scores, and the locals have just violated into the five-star range,” he says.

“It will take more work yet for Ford and Holden to get to the top end. Other manufacturers have been there for a while and they are making further improvements.”

But he says safety engineering is improving all the time, in everything from the types of steels used in cars to the design of ‘crash paths’ through the assets and even the growing number of airbags and things like pop-up bonnets to protect pedestrians.

“It’s more about timing than capability,” says Case.

Top ten safe cars, top ten worst cars – Car News, CarsGuide

Top ten safe cars, top ten worst cars

Volvo rates as best-of-the-best in a fresh listing of the safest cars in Australian showrooms, with Mitsubishi tailing the field.

The Swedish maker has done the job with its newest model, the exceptional fresh XC60, edging out a classy bunch of five-star cars.

But Mitsubishi’s outdated Express van trails in a pitiful last, even if the latest Mahindra Pik-Up does not do much better.

The results are exposed in a special Carsguide breakdown of the safety starlet rankings provided under the Australian New-Car Assessment Program.

“The XC60 is less than half a point away from the maximum possible. It would be enormously difficult to be any better than that. It’s an enormously incredible car,” says Michael Case, chief engineer of the RACV and also a spokesman for ANCAP.

“But any vehicle with less than four starlets is to be avoided unless you don’t have any other choice. Anything less than four starlets is unsatisfactory when there is so much choice. An enlargening number of vehicles achieve a four-star, and even five-star, ranking.

“Why buy a car at one or two starlets and risk your safety? It’s been a long time since one or two starlets has been acceptable.

“The bar has truly risen to five starlets, and the gap inbetween the starlet ratings is big. There is a gulf.”

The safest cars are all officially ranked as five starlet by ANCAP — including the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore — but drilling deeper shows the differences inbetween the best of the best.

It’s a similar story at the bottom end, even if the Express only gets one starlet, as the two and three-star vehicles can also be listed on the basis of their detailed NCAP scores.

At the top, Volvo’s fresh prestige SUV tops the field ahead of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and A-Class, followed by the Renault Laguna and the latest Volkswagen Golf.

From the bottom, it’s the Express and Pik-Up, then the Hyundai Elantra sedan, Kia Cerato hatch and Hyundai Accent.

The results demonstrate the gulf inbetween European prestige and luxury cars at one end and price-driven Korean cars at the other, with the majority of models sitting somewhere in the middle ground.

And that’s what ANCAP is all about.

The organisation was created in one thousand nine hundred ninety two in a joint venture inbetween motoring clubs and state safety organisations, and published its very first results in 1993. Since then it has tested dozens of vehicles in all classes, from micro-minis through to four-wheel drives and pick-ups.

But the results and reach of the ANCAP program has been extended by taking results from the mirror-image program run by the European NCAP organisation.

“Each of the crash tests costs in the neighborhood of $40,000-50,000. And that’s without the cost of the vehicle involved,” says Case.

“You need one vehicle for the offset frontal, which basically ruins the car. Then a 2nd car for the Moving Deformable Barrier test and, while the harm is much less, you cannot use it for anything else.

“The pole test looks innocuous, but does a lot of harm. With the pedestrian protection test you can repair the car and it is the same as before, you don’t have to consume the car.”

ANCAP budgets for 10-12 vehicles each year, which means at least twenty individual crash tests.

The testing is done at the NSW RTA Crashlab in Sydney, Autolive at Campbellfield in Melbourne and The Centre for Automotive Safety Research, which is part of the University of Adelaide.

There was some controversy when ANCAP cars were allegedly repaired and put back on the road, but Case says they are now stripped to ensure they are only suitable for spare parts.

“They have their identity liquidated and they are sold. They should go for spare parts,” says Case.

But it’s a big program and a big deal.

“If you do the accomplish suite of tests it’s $150,000 plus the cost of three cars. We use an independent car buying agent. We buy a car like a normal consumer would to ensure the results are impartial.”

Even so, carmakers proceed to fight against ANCAP because they say they do thousands of crash tests — both ‘real world’ and ‘virtual’, using the latest computer simulations — and NCAP is only a single crash.

But a growing number are now glad to use their ANCAP scores to promote their cars, including Ford, Subaru and Renault.

But it’s not surprise those are three brands with a five-star result to tout.

The latest ANCAP results display the quality of Volvo and Mercedes-Benz’s safety engineering, and the questions over the Koreans, but Case says safety is a moving target.

“It just takes continuous improvement to get higher NCAP scores, and the locals have just violated into the five-star range,” he says.

“It will take more work yet for Ford and Holden to get to the top end. Other manufacturers have been there for a while and they are making further improvements.”

But he says safety engineering is improving all the time, in everything from the types of steels used in cars to the design of ‘crash paths’ through the figure and even the growing number of airbags and things like pop-up bonnets to protect pedestrians.

“It’s more about timing than capability,” says Case.

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