Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross 2017 awarded five ANCAP stars

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) handed the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross a five-star safety rating this week, with the coupe-style SUV recording the second-highest result yet in the 'Adult Occupant Protection' testing category.

Scoring 36.94 out of 38 points overall – or 97 per cent – the Eclipse Cross performed perfectly in the side impact at 50km/h (eight out of eight) and oblique pole at 32km/h (eight out of eight) crash tests.

The frontal offset at 64km/h crash test was near-perfect, with a 7.96 out of eight tallied. Points were deducted for 'marginal' protection of the driver's left lower leg and the front passenger's chest.

Meanwhile, the full-width frontal at 50km/h crash test (7.29 out of eight) was not far off the pace, with the score impacted by 'marginal' and 'acceptable' protection of the rear passenger and driver's chests respectively.

The whiplash protection test returned a 2.69 out of three, as 'good' protection was provided for front and rear occupants' necks.

Additionally, the Eclipse Cross' low-speed auto emergency braking (AEB) system was flawless (three out of three) in testing.

Totalling 33.83 out of 42 points overall – or 80 per cent – in the 'Pedestrian Protection' category, the Japanese model mostly provided 'good' or 'adequate' head protection (18.14 out of 26) across its bonnet surface.

The bonnet edge offered 'good' upper leg protection (5.94 out of six), apart from one 'marginal' spot in the middle, while front bumper protection (six out of six) was 'good' everywhere.

The bonnet edge offered 'good' upper leg protection.

Testing of the AEB system's pedestrian detection function was almost perfect, with a 3.75 out of four awarded.

The 'Child Occupant Protection' category delivered 38.24 out of 49 points overall – or 78 per cent – with the six-year-old child dummy performing best (10.95 out of 15), while its 10-year old counterpart was not far behind (10.04 out of 15).

Points lost by the former resulted from 'acceptable' protection of some body parts in the frontal offset crash test, as opposed to the latter which also had 'weak' neck protection. Side impact crash test results for both dummies were 'good' for all body parts.

The child safety features (six out of seven) and child seat installation (11.25 out of 12) checks led to more strong scores.

Amassing 8.55 out of 12 points overall – or 71 per cent – in the 'Safety Assist' category, the Eclipse Cross netted a perfect result (three out of three) for its seatbelt reminders.

Its high-speed AEB system was nearly flawless (2.55 out of three) during testing, while the speed assistance and lane support systems recorded the same score, a 1.50 out of three.

Safety testing was conducted by ANCAP's European offshoot, Euro NCAP, on a left-hand-drive Eclipse Cross in Invite FWD form – a variant not sold in Australia.

However, the five-star ANCAP rating applies to all local Eclipse Cross variants, which officially enter Mitsubishi dealerships on December 22.

Pricing will range from $30,500 before on-road costs for the entry-level LS FWD to $38,500 for the Exceed AWD flagship.

Should ANCAP keep raising its safety standards, or is a five-star rating already hard to achieve? Tell us what you think in the comments below.