Jeep Wrangler now three ANCAP stars

The addition of standard autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and blind-spot monitoring has lifted the ANCAP safety rating of the Jeep Wrangler from one dismal star to a still underwhelming three stars.

At one star, the Wrangler was the lowest scoring vehicle of the 255 current models listed by the ANCAP website.

But at three stars — out of a possible five — it has at least now moved ahead of the two-star Great Wall Steed ute.

The hardcore 4x4 now sits alongside the Ford Mustang sports car, Suzuki Jimny mini-SUV, Foton Tunland ute and LDV G10 and V80 vans.

All short- and long-wheelbase Wrangler models in the Australian and New Zealand line-up now come with low- and high-speed AEB and they are already in Aussie Jeep dealerships.

"We are looking at all the safety aspects and enhancing everywhere we can when the technology is available to us,” Kevin Flynn, the boss of Jeep’s Australian distributor FCA, told carsales.com.au about the safety upgrade to Wrangler.

As previously reported, the Wrangler-based Gladiator utility will be fitted with standard AEB when it arrives in Australia in the second quarter of 2020.

At this stage ANCAP is understood to have no plans to crash-test the Jeep Gladiator ute, but Jeep could apply for an assessed rating on the basis of its technical relationship with Wrangler.

The upward revision to the Wrangler’s score comes after testing on behalf of ANCAP at a facility in Italy of the Wrangler’s new driver assist systems.

The addition of AEB has boosted the Wrangler’s safety assist rating from 32 to 51 per cent and adult occupant protection results from 50 to 60 per cent, but the scores in the other ANCAP pillars – child occupant protection and vulnerable road user protection (49 per cent) – remain unchanged.

At an 80 per cent rating, child occupant protection is the only pillar that qualified for five stars. The three others are all still in the three-star range. A vehicle’s ANCAP rating is based on its worst-performing pillar.

The JL Wrangler still has the same structural issues that along with a lack of AEB condemned it to a one-star rating when it was tested by Euro NCAP in December 2018.

Chest protection was a concern for the driver and rear passenger in each of the frontal crash tests, while a number of penalties were applied for structural deformation and potential leg injury hazards.

“These upgrades are welcome and I commend the local supplier for moving to provide Wrangler buyers in Australia and New Zealand with collision avoidance capability,” said ANCAP chief executive James Goodwin.

“While a three-star rating is still somewhat shy of the expected five stars, all upgraded models now have the ability to detect and assist with avoiding a crash with another vehicle – both in lower and higher speed scenarios.

“Unfortunately the upgraded AEB system fitted to updated models is not yet able to detect our most vulnerable road users in pedestrians and cyclists” he said.

“Consumers should be aware that the structural deficiencies we saw with the originally-tested model such as A-pillar and cross-facia beam failure, footwell intrusion, high seatbelt loads and excessive pedal movement have not been addressed and remain a risk for occupants,” Goodwin added.

ANCAP also noted the Wrangler remains unavailable with lane keeping assist.

Despite its poor safety rating the Wrangler is the only Jeep model to have lifted its sales in Australia in 2019.