Family cars continue to get safer by the day.
Ahead of their introductions, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has awarded the popular Subaru XV and incoming Holden Astra saloon impressive 5-star safety ratings, after putting the two cars through a battery of tests.
On the subject, ANCAP CEO James Goodwin said that “the Astra saloon and XV offer high-levels of protection to occupants across a variety of crash scenarios,” and went on to commend the XV for its “good” pedestrian protection and whiplash protection. The 5-star rating applies across the XV range, though autonomous emergency braking is only available on the top-three tier lines of the Subaru crossover.
The Astra saloon on the other hand netter an ‘Acceptable’ rating for its pedestrian protection, along with a ‘Good’ whiplash protection score. AEB isn’t available at all with the Astra saloon, something that Goodwin was not pleased about. “It is disappointing that autonomous emergency braking is not available across the board on two new models, and we continue to encourage consumers to ask for, and brands to offer, this potentially life-saving technology.”
As of next year, all new vehicles will be required to bundle AEB as standard to achieve a 5-star ANCAP safety rating.
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