Jeep has bounced back from a less than stunning crash safety result for its Compass model, with a five-star ANCAP rating for the Patriot joining the Cherokee's in the trophy room at Port Melbourne.
ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Programme) had recently tested the Patriot and Great Wall's V200 pick-up; the latter achieving just three stars in its respective crash test.
"This is a great result for Jeep," said ANCAP Chairman, Lauchlan McIntosh. "Their first 5 star model was the 2014 Cherokee rated earlier this year and now the Patriot has proven it too is a safe choice for consumers."
The Jeep tested was a front-wheel drive model; the four-wheel drive variants remain unassessed by ANCAP, but presumably offer at least comparable secondary safety. It's a very positive sign for Jeep, after the similarly sized Compass incurred a crash safety rating of just two stars when tested by Euro NCAP early in 2012. Tested just two months later by ANCAP – under a different regime – the Compass picked up two stars, making four in total. ANCAP offered an opinion of the Great Wall V200 tested – a single-cab model – that was less than glowing.
"Price is of course one of the key factors when it comes to deciding which car to buy, but that shouldn’t mean we compromise on safety," Lauchlan McIntosh was quoted saying in ANCAP's press release.
"Today's two ratings highlight the differences we're still seeing between passenger vehicles and light commercial vehicles [LCVs].
"LCVs are still being afforded regulatory concessions when it comes to safety but there is no reason why LCVs should be built to lesser standards than passenger cars."
Crash safety for LCVs is lagging well behind passenger cars, ANCAP notes. Five-star safety is a selling point for 90 per cent of new passenger vehicles sold to date this year, but only 55 per cent of LCVs are equally safe.