Carsales Staff•12 Oct 2012
NEWS
Colorado's four-star ANCAP fumble
Holden's single-cab pick-up and the Isuzu D-MAX fall short of five-star ratingCrash testing by local safety authority ANCAP has revealed single-cab models in the Holden Colorado range don't achieve the level of safety set by dual-cab variants of the same vehicle.
Colorado crew cabs tested previously by ANCAP (the Australasian New Car Assessment Program) were awarded five stars for crash safety, but the single-cab and space-cab versions have only produced a four-star result in the latest round of crash tests.
According to ANCAP, the mixed result for Colorado is due to seatbelt pretensioners and reminders. Whereas crew-cab Colorado is fitted with dual pretensioners and a seatbelt reminder for both front-seat occupants, the single-cab and space-cab models come with single pretensioners and just the one seatbelt reminder – for the driver.
"The five-star ANCAP safety rating of the Colorado crew cabs should be praised; however a four-star result for the single / space cab models is disappointing," said Lauchlan McIntosh, ANCAP Chairman.
Colorado's twin under the skin, the Isuzu D-MAX, was also tested by ANCAP and also achieved just four stars. Unlike the Colorado's five-star dual cabs, D-MAX dual cabs only scored four stars.
"Like the single / space cab Colorados, the shared-platform D-Max also has only single pretensioners resulting in the four-star ANCAP safety rating," said Mr McIntosh. "The four-star ANCAP safety rating for the D-Max is an improvement on the rating of the former model but with an increasing number of fleets now requiring five-star vehicles, and consumers also purchasing these utes for family transport, safety should be the priority when making the purchasing decision."
"While the Colorado's pedestrian protection result was 'Acceptable', the D-Max's was 'Marginal'. ANCAP would like to see manufacturers all targeting the top level of pedestrian protection to reduce injuries to unprotected road users."
In response to the ANCAP announcement, Isuzu countered that the four-star ANCAP rating was based on a tougher testing regime developed by Euro NCAP. On the basis of some testing parameters the D-MAX had outgunned the Volkswagen Amarok, which is also rated four stars by Euro NCAP. But ANCAP, locally, has rated the Amarok five stars, based on its slightly different testing regime.
In adult crash protection the Isuzu notched up 83 per cent, just three per cent behind the Amarok, and Euro NCAP commended the Isuzu's whiplash protection. According to Isuzu, the D-MAX topped the Volkswagen in child safety (67 to 64 per cent), pedestrian safety (51 to 47 per cent) and safety assistance technology (71 to 57 per cent). Yet by virtue of an anomaly in the two testing procedures – here and in Europe – the Amarok scores the maximum rating in Australia, but the same four-star score as the D-MAX in Europe.
But seatbelt reminders and pretensioners aside, the D-MAX scored just four stars because it totalled 10.48 points in the frontal offset crash when the vehicle needed to meet or exceed the 12.5-point threshold to be considered for five-star status. The manufacturer plans to address issues raised by Euro NCAP in the near future to secure a five-star score for the D-MAX.
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Written byCarsales Staff
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalists
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