Q2, Q5, Countryman and Kodiaq score five stars for safety

Four recent arrivals in the local SUV market sector have achieved five-star safety ratings, according to the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP).

Three out of the four cars are sold through Volkswagen-owned brands: Audi Q2, Q5 and Skoda Kodiaq. The fourth is the Countryman, sold by MINI, a brand owned by BMW. All four vehicles tested are equipped with autonomous emergency braking, which is a primary safety feature ANCAP has demanded should be standard in all new cars.

ANCAP praised the Countryman in particular for its five-star rating, in contrast with the four-star score for its predecessor.

"Not only has Mini improved on the structural performance of the Countryman – they're offering the highest level of safety assist features seen from the brand with autonomous emergency braking including pedestrian detection, and a speed sign recognition and warning system," says ANCAP CEO, James Goodwin.

Of the other SUVs tested, Goodwin singled out the Q5 and its high-performance variant, the SQ5, for the standard pedestrian detection feature.

"A top safety score and impressive array of standard safety features are offered on all Q5 and SQ5 models. It has an advanced autonomous emergency braking system which operates at city and highway speeds, with the added ability to detect and assist in avoiding pedestrians up to a speed of 85km/h," he said.

The Kodiaq has arrived in the Aussie market with a strong safety suite for the money being asked. Goodwin numbered off some of those features that stood out.

"The Kodiaq has been assessed against the latest criteria offering a range of important safety technologies as standard including autonomous emergency braking, multi-collision braking and speed limiter," he observed.

The Q5's smaller sibling, the Q2, was also praised for its combination of active and passive safety.

"This new market entrant in the Small SUV segment is another good example of key safety technologies being provided not just in the luxury, larger-sized end of the market."

Goodwin concluded with his observation that the results for the four cars proved that the car companies can develop new models fast enough to meet the changing NCAP test protocols.

"Consumers should be buoyed by these ratings which show brands are keeping pace with increasing safety standards," he said.