Local releases earn their safety stripes
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday August 29, 2009
HOLDEN'S entire Commodore family sedan range and Statesman luxury limousine have qualified for Australia's top crash-safety rating, all thanks to a small blinking light on the dash.The Australasian New Car Assessment Program awarded the five-stars-out-of-five rating after Holden this month added a front-passenger seatbelt reminder to the cars €” the one feature that had prevented them scoring the top rating.The base-model Commodore Omega gained a five-star rating last year.Also gaining the top ranking is the locally made Toyota Aurion, which, like Holden, had to add a seatbelt reminder to earn the full five stars.Other vehicles gaining the top ANCAP rating include the Subaru Outback and Liberty, which go on sale soon, the Alfa Romeo MiTo, Peugeot's 308CC convertible and the Mercedes-Benz Viano people-mover.ANCAP also confirmed the Mercedes-Benz Vito trade van as the first commercial vehicle to gain a five-star crash rating if drivers opt for the $800 side-curtain airbags. Without them, the Vito gains four stars.Meanwhile, a version of the Holden Barina sold in the US has scored the lowest in a test of how well several popular small and light cars can withstand the roof caving in during a rollover.The US-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found the roof strength of the Korean-made Chevrolet Aveo was only "marginal", ranking it last.Of the cars tested, the two-seat Smart ForTwo provided the best protection, earning a "good" rating.Other vehicles given a low rating in the "average" segment included the Honda Fit (sold in Australia as the Honda Jazz), the Hyundai Accent, Mini's Cooper and the Toyota Yaris.A spokeswoman for Holden said the company stood behind the Barina's four-star Australasian New Car Assessment Program crash rating.For more on car safety, go todrive.com.au/safety
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald