Hyundai Tucson crashes to just four stars

The authority that crash tests new cars to determine their safety levels has awarded Hyundai's new Tucson just four stars out of a possible five.

The motto of the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) is "accept nothing less [than five stars]" and as such its CEO James Goodwin has branded the mid-size Korean SUV's result substandard.

"The result is disappointing and unexpected for a new vehicle in this competitive class," Goodwin said.

The Tucson is the first Hyundai passenger car (excluding the iMax and iLoad vans) to miss out on a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

The Tucson scored five stars in the Euro NCAP test, but Australia's version fell short in terms of front occupant protection after lower leg safety for the driver was rated 'marginal' in the 64km/h frontal offset crash test, scoring just 0.41 points out of four.

"Testing revealed the structural integrity of the driver footwell was compromised in the frontal offset test and there was also excessive movement of the brake pedal, meaning the vehicle could not achieve five stars," said Goodwin.

Hyundai Australia has built a lot of brand equity around ANCAP test results and has foreshadowed manufacturing changes to the Tucson going forward.

ANCAP will retest the vehicle when the changes have been made, which is expected to happen by year's end.

"It's encouraging, however, that Hyundai has taken immediate steps following the test to make design and production changes to improve the safety of the model," observed Goodwin.

"ANCAP has agreed to test the vehicle once the design changes are in production and it's hoped the countermeasures will improve the vehicle's overall rating," he said.

The ANCAP chief also pointed out that the left-hand-drive Tucson recently tested by Euro NCAP scored five stars "due to differences in the crash performance as well as a higher standard of safety features, including a pop-up bonnet to improve pedestrian safety, which are not available to consumers in Australasia," he said.

Hyundai Australia has responded to the four-star ANCAP with a press statement that notes "While the Tucson performed well overall, and is inherently strong and safe, it is not the maximum five-star result the vehicle was designed to achieve."

The Korean importer says it takes safety very seriously and already has engineers working on improving lower leg safety to "determine what changes may be necessary to achieve a five-star score."