Four-star safety rating for new Hyundai Venue

Australia’s independent crash testing authority ANCAP has posted its latest round of results, in which the Tesla Model X, new MG HS and Audi A7 and Q8 all achieved a maximum five-star rating.

At the same time, ANCAP’s European affiliate Euro NCAP also announced top five-star ratings for the new Volkswagen Golf, Nissan JUKE, Ford Puma and MG ZS EV, and those ratings are likely to be adopted by ANCAP when those vehicles arrive in Australia.

However, the new Hyundai Venue was awarded a sub-standard four-star rating from ANCAP, which said the result was “limited by its less advanced safety assist systems”.

“The Venue fell shy of the five-star safety standard we’ve come to expect from Hyundai with Marginal performance levels observed for its ability to avoid a rear-end impact with vehicles in front,” said ANCAP chief James Goodwin.

“This limited the Venue’s Safety Assist score to 62 per cent. The Venue is the first model to undertake Safety Assist performance testing in Australia, following the commissioning of a new test facility in regional NSW.”

As we forecast when the all-new small SUV was launched in September, the Venue was unlikely to score five stars from ANCAP following local testing (it’s not sold in Europe and therefore has no Euro NCAP rating).

That’s because all Venue variants come with a camera-based autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system that does not detect cyclists, rather than Hyundai’s ‘Fusion II’ system that also employs radar and includes adaptive cruise control.

The same issue is expected to apply to the entry-level version of the new Kia Seltos small SUV, for which a $1000 optional safety pack brings Fusion II camera/radar-based AEB.

Joining the iLoad van as the only other current Hyundai model not to come with a five-star ANCAP rating, the Venue’s Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) system detects vehicles and pedestrians and provides full auto-braking at speeds between 8-60km/h, and partial braking to minimise the severity of impact with other vehicles at speeds of up to 180km/h.

All models also come with lane-keeping assist (60-180km/h), driver attention warning, auto high-beam, tyre-pressure monitoring, reversing camera and six airbags, while the top-spec Hyundai Venue Elite auto adds Blind-Spot Collision Warning (30km/h-plus) and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning.

The Hyundai Venue received solid 91 per cent Adult Occupant Protection (34.8 points out of 38) and 81% Child Occupant Protection (40.0/49).

But in an indication of how tough ANCAP’s scoring regime has become, it scored only 62% for both Vulnerable Road User Protection (29.8/48) and Safety Assist (8.1/13).

Cyclist detection accounts for six of the 48 points available in the VRUP part of the test, which is second only to child protection (49 points) in terms of importance, followed by adult protection (38) and Safety Assist (13).

Meantime, ANCAP says a standout in the latest run of testing was the Tesla Model X, which joins the Model 3 and Model S sedans in achieving a five-star ANCAP rating following Euro NCAP testing.

Although the Model X has been on sale since 2016, the rating only applies to vehicles built since October 2019. The Tesla SUV scored a record-equalling 98% for its adult occupant protection and matched the Model 3 with 94% for safety, but fell short of it for child protection (86%) and VRUP (72%).

“Tesla should be commended for providing a vehicle which offers very high levels of safety performance both in its physical protection and its ability to avoid a crash through its active safety systems,” said Goodwin.

The Audi Q8 was also awarded the full five stars, scoring 93% for adult occupant protection and 88% cent for child occupant protection, as did the Audi A7 Sportback after ANCAP carried over the new A6 sedan’s results based on technical info from Audi.

MG’s new mid-size SUV, the HS, also scored five stars following 92% adult, 83% child, 64% VRUP and 77% safety assist scores from Euro NCAP testing, even though ANCAP said testing revealed a higher risk of injury in side impacts.

“Tested to our most stringent criteria, the MG HS scored well, yet concerns were noted for chest protection of the driver in the oblique pole test and head protection for older children in the side impact test,” said Goodwin.