Big safety tick for Tesla SUV as Hyundai Venue lags

THE Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has released its latest round of testing results which show the Tesla Model X all-electric SUV has earned the equal highest score ever of 98 per cent for adult occupant protection.

But as the MG HS mid-size SUV and Audi’s A7 large sedan and Q8 flagship SUV models also impressed with five-star results (out of five), Hyundai’s all-new Venue crossover failed to reach the expected maximum rating due to its “less advanced safety assist systems”.

The Korean brand’s small SUV scored just 62 per cent in both the vulnerable road user protection testing and the ‘safety assist’ category.

This is despite being fitted with a high level of safety equipment including dual front, front-side and front/rear curtain airbags, and active driver assistance systems such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning and emergency lane keeping.

ANCAP chief executive James Goodwin said: “The Venue fell shy of the five-star safety standard we’ve come to expect from Hyundai with marginal performance levels observed for its ability to avoid a rear-end impact with vehicles in front.

“The Venue is the first model to undertake ‘safety assist’ performance testing in Australia, following the commissioning of a new test facility in regional New South Wales.”

Regarding the Model X, Mr Goodwin was full of praise, saying that “Tesla should be commended for providing a vehicle which offers very high levels of safety performance both in its physical protection of occupants as well as its ability to help avoid a crash through its active safety systems”.

Full points were achieved for protection of the driver in all four of the full-scale vehicle crash tests – frontal offset, full width, side impact and oblique pole – as well as lane support and emergency lane keeping functionality.

The Tesla SUV also scored close to full marks in the AEB performance tests.

The only other vehicle to have achieved a 98 per cent adult occupant protection score is Alfa Romeo’s Giulia premium mid-size sedan.

Launched earlier this month, MG’s medium-sized HS put in a reasonably well-rounded performance but faltered slightly in the child occupant testing, according to Mr Goodwin.

“Tested to our most stringent criteria, the MG HS scored well, yet concerns were noted for chest protection of the driver in the oblique pole test and head protection for older children in the side impact test,” he said.

Both Audis sailed through the program, with testers saying both the A7 Sportback and Q8 “demonstrated good performance in all assessment areas”.

ANCAP stressed that while the ratings of the Model X, HS and Venue are applicable across their entire respective range, the five-star ratings of the two Audis do not apply to the RS7 or SQ8 variants.