Commodore languishes in safety ratings

Holden’s Commodore is the only Australian-made six-cylinder sedan not to earn the highest possible ratings in the 20th annual Used Car Safety Ratings.

Results released yesterday show the VE Commodore earns only a four-star rating, while the recently superseded Toyota Aurion debuts with the maximum five stars and the added accolade of  ‘safe pick’, meaning it provides not only high quality protection for its occupants but other road users too.

And while largely ignored in its short life, Mitsubishi’s last locally manufactured car, the 380, has been posthumously recognised with both five stars and a ‘safe pick’.

The Aurion and 380 join Ford’s FG Falcon with the maximum five-star and ‘safe pick’ ratings. The Melbourne-built four-cylinder Camry sedan joins the Commodore on four stars.

Based on the results of research into more than five million crashes in Australia and New Zealand between 1996 and 2010, the UCSR is a collaborative effort between VicRoads, the Traffic Accident Commission, RACV and the world-renowned Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC).

The ratings were calculated using an internationally reviewed method and are influenced by the vehicle’s mass, the structural design of the body and the presence of safety features in the vehicle, such as airbags and types of seatbelts.

The ratings relate to the risk of death or serious injury to the driver of the vehicle in the event of a crash and not the risk of being involved in the crash in the first place.

Other vehicles new to the five-star ‘safe pick’ ranking for 2012 include the 2007-10 Mazda2, which is the only mini-car to achieve the highest rating, and the 2001-08 Audi A4, 2005-10 BMW 3 series family and 1998-2006 VW Passat in the medium class.

Also achieving the top accolade was the 1996-2002 Mercedes-Benz E-Class in the large car category, the Ford Territory SX/SY (which was previously five-star but not a ‘safe pick’) and the Captiva CG in medium 4WD and the 2001-08 BMW X5 and 2001-05 Ford Explorer in large 4WD.

While some cars dip down in the rankings including the previously five-star Camry, UCSR says the results are not comparable year-to-year because they have been recalculated using the latest data.

The only category which did not have at least one ‘safe pick’ was the people-mover category, although several vehicles did gain five-star rankings.

Unsurprisingly, the data showed that of the 197 vehicles surveyed, newer ones tended to be safer.

MUARC Senior Research Fellow Dr Stuart Newstead issued a specific warning to family buyers looking at 4WDs and people-movers, pointing out that size doesn’t always equate to superior safety.

“While most large cars tend to rate well, there are some that don’t and it is those vehicles that… families should be wary of when they are looking to buy their family car,” Dr Newstead said.

“You might feel safe just being in a large, heavy vehicle but in many cases, a greater vehicle weight offers no safety advantage.”

Launching the UCSR, Victorian Minister for Roads Terry Mulder said that the state’s road toll could be cut by one third to 200 per annum if car buyers selected the safest car in class.

2010 Used Car Safety Ratings - Five-star ‘safe picks’:

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Mazda2 2007-10

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