Top safety rating for new Peugeot and Mercedes models

Australian independent vehicle safety authority ANCAP has awarded a maximum five-star local safety rating for the new mid-size Peugeot 508 Fastback and Sportswagon, new Mercedes-Benz B-Class mini people-mover and new Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class small sedan.

All three redesigned models are now on sale in Australia ahead of imminent first deliveries, and received praise from ANCAP Chief Executive, James Goodwin – in particular the two small Benzes.

“The Peugeot 508 Fastback and Sportswagon scored well in all assessment areas including the more critical emergency lane keeping scenarios which are assessed as part of lane support functionality,” he said.

“As has come to be the expected standard for Mercedes-Benz, the new B-Class and CLA have achieved top marks with strong scores across all four key areas of assessment.

“The CLA achieved full points in a number of tests, including full points for the protection offered to adult passengers seated in the rear showing that safety is being prioritised for all seating positions.

“The B-Class is capable of detecting and reacting to vulnerable road users including pedestrians and cyclists, and high scores were seen for its crash avoidance capabilities and physical crash protection,” said Goodwin.

Separately overnight, Euro NCAP has awarded maximum five-star ratings to the upcoming Audi A1, BMW Z4, Mercedes-Benz EQC, Skoda Kamiq and new Ford Focus hatch, which was launched in Australia last December and re-tested following a specification upgrade in Europe.

“Ford is to be praised for making further enhancements to its already well-performing 5 star Focus,” said Goodwin. “These latest safety upgrades see its Adult Occupant Protection score rise from the 85% awarded last year to 96% today, offering consumers with enhanced protection.”

However, ANCAP awarded the recently launched Citroen C5 Aircross a sub-par four-star safety rating and said the mid-size SUV’s autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system had “room for improvement”.

“The Citroen C5 Aircross feel short of 5 star requirements in the area of Vulnerable Road User Protection where MARGINAL performance was observed for the avoidance of pedestrians,” said Goodwin.

“Reducing its score was the omission of cyclist-detection within its autonomous emergency braking system – a feature which is offered in Europe yet not in Australia.”

Unlike the Peugeot 508, also produced by the PSA Group, the Citroen C5 is not available in export markets including Australia with radar technology to support its AEB and related systems including adaptive cruise control.

Instead, the Citroen relies on a camera-based AEB system that detects other vehicles and pedestrians but not cyclists, which in this case ANCAP says helped prevent it from receiving five stars.

Therefore Australia’s Citroen C5 Aircross receives the same four-star safety rating as in Europe, where a higher-tech radar-based AEB system with cyclist detection is optional, in which case the car gets a five-star Euro NCAP rating.

For the record, the C5 Aircross comes standard across the range with AEB and lane-keeping systems, plus twin front, side and curtain airbags. ANCAP awarded it 87% for adult occupant protection, 88% for child occupant protection, 58% for vulnerable road user protection and 73% for safety assist.

“The C5 Aircross was tested by NCAP earlier this year resulting in a dual four and five-star rating,” a Peugeot Citroen Australia spokesperson told carsales.

“Structurally, there is no difference between the four and five star rated vehicles. The only difference lays in the optional safety pack – which is not available for the Australian market.

“That said, Australian-bound Citroen C5 Aircross vehicles receive a comprehensive suite of safety and driver assistance including AEB. If radar-based safety systems are made available to us, we would investigate local introduction.”

But the C5 Aircross isn’t the only mainstream mid-size SUV to lack pedestrian and/or cyclist detection and its four-star rating highlights the inconsistency of ANCAP ratings, following the introduction of a tougher scoring regime that introduced 'safety assist' testing in 2018.

AEB is now a prerequisite for a five-star ANCAP rating and although they are ‘date-stamped’, many five-star ANCAP ratings awarded before 2018 would not stand under the current protocol.

And while the C5 Aircross was penalised for its pedestrian detection performance and lack of cyclist recognition, it seems none of its mainstream rivals offer the full gammut of AEB functions, which can be confusing for consumers.

Given the various brand names applied to driver-assist technologies by car-makers, ascertaining exactly what types of AEB systems are fitted in which models – let alone what they can detect (cars, pedestrians, cyclists), when they work (day/night), at what speeds (low/high) and whether they’re standard or optional – is difficult.

For example, in the mid-size SUV segment, the Smart City Brake Support system in the top-selling Mazda CX-5 (tested in 2017) includes vehicle and pedestrian recognition at speeds between 4-80km/h, and will warn the driver and brake if there is a risk of collision.

So too does the Kia Sportage (2016), Nissan X-TRAIL (2017) and Volkswagen Tiguan (2016), while the Toyota RAV4 (2019) and Subaru Forester (2019) add cyclist detection -- but only during the daytime.

The Honda CR-V (2017) and Hyundai Tucson (2015) come with range-wide AEB, but only the two high-grade variants in both model ranges offer pedestrian detection, while the Renault Koleos (2017) has a vehicle-only AEB system range-wide and AEB isn't available in the base Holden Equinox (2017) or Mitsubishi Outlander (2014).

It seems price is not a factor in determining the quality of safety equipment either, given that no versions of the Porsche Macan, which is not rated by NCAP, come standard with AEB.

Despite a recent facelift for one of the most expensive mid-size SUVs available, and the fact that even a sub-$15,000 Kia Picanto comes with standard AEB, the potentially life-saving tech is part of a $2400 option pack also including active cruise control – on all variants from the $81,400 base model to the new Macan Turbo range-topper ($142,000).