Five-star safety for Kia Sorento, Land Rover Defender
New large SUVs now the benchmark for safety in their class due to tougher testing standardsThe Kia Sorento and Land Rover Defender have both achieved maximum five-star safety ratings from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) under its more stringent 2020 testing standards, making the two new large SUVs among the safest in their class.
Only a handful of new vehicles have made the grade under ANCAP’s latest protocols, with testing delayed this year due to COVID-19 and some models, such as the new Ford Puma, assessed against easier standards based on Euro NCAP testing conducted in 2019.
Some companies such as Hyundai Australia have also not put new models up for testing because of the costs involved and the likelihood they will not achieve a top five-star ranking under the tougher testing regime. The 2020 Hyundai i30 sedan is a case in point.
In announcing the results for the Kia Sorento and Land Rover Defender, both of which are finalists in the 2020 carsales Car of the Year, ANCAP director of communications and advocacy Rhianne Robson said: “2020 has been a year of significant change, but we’re pleased to see vehicle brands continue to recognise the importance of five-star safety despite increasing standards.”
Robson said the new Kia Sorento performed well across the various physical crash tests but was particularly impressive in the Safety Assist category, in which the Korean model scored 89 per cent – the highest mark in this section achieved to date under the 2020 testing criteria.
However, the rating only applies to diesel-powered variants of the Sorento.
“The Kia Sorento introduces a number of new features to the large SUV segment including an advanced autonomous emergency braking system with the ability to brake to prevent collisions when turning in front of another vehicle,” Robson said.
“A driver monitoring system is also fitted as standard.
“For a vehicle of its size and mass, the Sorento also offers good levels of compatibility with other vehicles – reducing the risk of serious injury to occupants in an opponent vehicle.”
ANCAP said in its testing notes that the new Land Rover Defender also showed “strong performance” across the four key areas of safety assessment.
“Adult occupant protection and child occupant protection scored well, with maximum points recorded for adult occupants in the side impact and oblique pole tests, and for child occupants in the frontal offset and side impact tests,” Robson said.
“In contrast to the Sorento, however, the front structure of the Defender presents a higher risk to occupants of an oncoming vehicle in a crash, and as a result its score in the frontal offset test was reduced.”
The British SUV also copped criticism for not having top tether anchorage points for child seats in the optional third row.
The rating applies to current Land Rover Defender 110 variants. ANCAP has told carsales that it is currently working with Jaguar Land Rover Australia to determine whether the incoming MY21 update – which will include all-new powertrains and the short-wheelbase Defender 90 model – will carry the coveted five-star tag.
It is expected to hold the rating, but confirmation should be provided early next year.
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