Euro NCAP has published the safety ratings of eight new vehicles, among which four have made their first appearance on the market this year: the X-Class, the luxury pick-up by Mercedes-Benz; the F-Pace’s smaller brother, the Jaguar E-Pace; the new DS brand’s flagship car, the DS 7 Crossback; and the all-electric Citroën e-Mehari.
Also released are the ratings for the new generation Porsche Cayenne, the BMW X3, the Subaru XV and its partner, the Impreza. Finally, Euro NCAP has re-tested the Honda Civic published earlier this year, after the company introduced improvements to the rear seat restraint on the in-production vehicle.
All cars achieve a maximum five-star rating except for the e-Mehari which is rated as three stars. As consumers have come to expect from these brands, the Porsche Cayenne and BMW X3 perform well all-round, the Jaguar E-Type continues JLR’s strong run of five-star vehicles and Mercedes-Benz’s first pickup also hits the ground running with a maximum safety rating.
Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP, “Unsurprising as these results may be to some, these ratings continue to represent outstanding engineering achievements. This should not be taken for granted given the fact that Euro NCAP’s rating regime now includes over 15 different tests and hundreds of individual requirements, which are strengthened all the time. It is very positive that manufacturers still see a five-star rating as the target for most new vehicle models.”
Citroën’s quirky, beach-resort vehicle, the e-Mehari harks back to the Méhari which began production in the sixties. With standard airbags and seatbelt load-limiters and pre-tensioners, the e-Mehari offers satisfactory crash protection but its star rating is held back by a lack of driver assistance. PSA has not lost their mojo, however, as their DS 7 Crossback debut confidently takes its spot among the top achievers this year.
Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP, “As we approach the end of the year, Euro NCAP is preparing for the new tests in 2018, in which auto brake systems that can detect and mitigate cyclists will be put to the test for the first time. These new tests and other planned updates will reflect the surge in automated vehicle functions that we expect to see on the market in the next years. Our mission is to help consumers understand how these systems operate, to show what they are capable of and to explain how one day these might save your life”.
Detailed results and crash test pictures are published on the Euro NCAP website: www.euroncap.com/en
