Merc A-Class, Mazda 6 and Lexus ES score five-star ANCAP

Australia’s authority on vehicle safety, ANCAP, has awarded the A-Class hatch flying colours for its safety performance, while commending the Lexus ES for its impressive active safety features.

The 2018 Mercedes Benz A-Class was singled out for scoring the highest rating to date (92 per cent) in the ‘Vulnerable Road User Protection’ category, as well as scoring an equal highest 91 per cent in the ‘Child Occupant Protection’ category. 

ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) also applauded the car for making side chest-protecting airbags standard on Australian delivered A-Class vehicles, noting the feature is optional in their European counterparts.

The Mazda6 scored highest in the 'AEB - interurban' test out of the three vehicles.

The Mazda6 was also awarded a maximum five-star safety rating, although the authority noted a penalty applied for rear passenger safety in particular scenarios. The ANCAP report explains “The pelvis of the dummy slipped beneath the lap section of the seatbelt in the full-width test.”

The Lexus ES was particularly notable for its autonomous safety scores, where it received full marks for its ability to detect and avoid pedestrians during day and night time, as well as scoring well for cyclist detection (a 90 per cent Vulnerable Road User Protection score), although it was also penalised for rear occupant protection for the same reason as the Mazda6.

The Lexus ES was applauded for its pedestrian and cyclist detection scores in both day and night scenarios.

As to the all-important auto emergency braking (AEB) scores, each vehicle scored 4/4 for the ‘AEB-City’ category, the ES and A-Class both scored 6/6 for the ‘Pedestrian Detection’ test, while the Mazda 6 fell short scoring 4.77/6 for the pedestrian test and 0/6 for ‘Cyclist Detection’.

Oddly, the Mazda6 with its ‘Advanced Smart City Brake Support’ scored highest in the high-speed AEB ‘interurban’ tests.

The five-star safety ratings apply to all currently available variants of the A-Class and Mazda6 as well as the the 300h and 300h Sports Luxury variants of the Lexus ES.

You can read the full report for each of these vehicles on ANCAP’s website.

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