Vito scores five stars
Mercedes-Benz LCV tops ANCAP ratings with side pole testThe Mercedes-Benz Vito is the first light commercial vehicle to score a five-star crash safety rating in Australia. Tested last month by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), the Mercedes-Benz Viano -- the peoplemover variant in the Vito range -- was placed on a sled and flung sideways at a pole.
The vehicle struck the pole on the driver's door at an impact speed of 29km/h for the test, which, as the Carsales Network can attest from having witnessed the event, is more than fast enough when travelling sideways.
"It's an unsurvivable test, if you don't have head protection," says ANCAP Technical Manager, Michael Paine, of the pole test.
"ANCAP only performs a pole test if the vehicle has a head-protecting side airbag, such as a curtain or a combo bag -- and the vehicle is within reach of five stars.
"That's a relatively recent policy. One or two models have slipped into four stars using the pole test and the ANCAP board decided that that wasn't really giving consumers a real picture of injury risk."
ANCAP is satisfied that the Viano and the Vito resisted the impact well enough to warrant a five-star safety rating. While the result is a feather in the cap for Mercedes-Benz -- the first time a commercial vehicle has scored the top ranking in ANCAP testing -- it doesn't translate for Benz globally.
Vitos sold in Europe have scored four stars in Euro NCAP testing, but are unlikely to achieve a higher score, since Euro NCAP testing is conducted in accordance with different parameters.
But Peter Fadeyev, Manager of Corporate Communications for Mercedes-Benz in Australia, is in no doubt that the Australian result will be carefully studied back in Germany.
"Germany gave [this test] its blessing. Everything that we have from NCAP and everything that we generate internally will be passed back as well."
When questioned as to whether it was appropriate to test the passenger-carrying Viano variant, rather than a Vito van per se, Fadeyev admitted that the more expensive Viano was one vehicle currently in stock and available for testing, but it's important that the five-star accreditation apply to the passenger-carrying model as well.
"We had access to one of those. That's pretty much it, simple as that. Keep in mind too that as a commercial vehicle, it's critical, because a number of VHA and VHB fleets run [the Viano] in New South Wales and Victoria -- in place of a Statesman or a 7 Series. So they're a big customer of ours too."
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