New Volkswagen Amarok nabs five-star ANCAP safety rating

A week before its Australian launch, the new 2023 Volkswagen Amarok has been awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety, making it the newest addition to the growing list of five-star-safe utes – including its sister model, the Ford Ranger.

Volkswagen’s second-generation pick-up was tested against the same 2020-2022 protocols as its Australian-developed platform twin, with many of the Ford’s scores being carried over to the VW on account of their similarities. But the Amarok was still subjected to its own frontal offset and side impact tests.

The new Amarok was eventually awarded 86 per cent for its adult occupant protection, 93 per cent for its child occupant protection, 74 per cent for its vulnerable road user protection and 83 per cent for its safety assists, gifting it a marginally higher average than its sibling.

The difference is in the adult occupant protection scores of the two models, which share the same extensive list of active and passive safety features as standard, with the VW nabbing an extra two points over the Ford, but ANCAP testers didn’t go into detail about exactly where the discrepancy stems from.

They did, however, note the absence of a central top-tether anchorage point in the Amarok’s second row and recommended owners with kids don’t install a child restraint in the middle rear seat.

“As with the Ford Ranger and many other utilities and large SUVs, the Amarok was shown to pose an increased risk to occupants of oncoming vehicles in a crash, and a 3.57 point ‘compatibility’ penalty was applied,” testers said.

“Good scores were awarded for the Amarok’s performance in emergency lane keeping, lane keep assist, car-to-car autonomous emergency braking (AEB) tests, and car-to-cyclist AEB tests.

“Car-to-pedestrian AEB test scenarios revealed an overall Adequate level of performance.”

ANCAP chief executive officer Carla Hoorweg said the dual-cab ute class was becoming increasingly competitive as newer and more advanced models come to market, with the Amarok slotting in towards the top of the table.

Other pick-ups boasting a current (post-January 2020) five-star ANCAP safety rating include the Isuzu D-MAX, Mazda BT-50, Ford Ranger and GWM Ute.

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