New dual-cab utes 2020 compared: How safe are 4x2 and 4x4 mid-size pick-ups?

Nissan gave its Navara ute an update last week, but crucially it was missing the overdue addition of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and other crucial advanced-driver assist systems, which got us thinking about the level of safety dual-cab pick-ups currently offer.

Some (Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton) lead from the front not only in sales, but also safety, with comprehensive suites available.

Conversely, others (Mazda BT-50 and Volkswagen Amarok) are showing their age and have little to offer in the way of active features.

Ford Ranger loses grip on second spot as Toyota HiLux and RAV4 dominate Australian sales charts

There’s also a couple of newcomers (LDV T60 and SsangYong Musso) that put their more established rivals to shame, even if just a little bit.

And with Isuzu and Great Wall introducing new-generation models (D-Max and Cannon respectively) around the middle of this year, the safety ante is likely to be upped again.

Note: The following table compares 4x2 and 4x4 mid-size dual-cab pick-ups only. And given their recent discontinuations, the Holden Colorado and Mercedes-Benz X-Class have been excluded here.

	Toyota HiLux	Ford Ranger	Mitsu-bishi Triton	Nissan Navara	Isuzu D-Max	Mazda BT-50	Volks-wagen Amarok	LDV T60	Great Wall Steed	Ssang-Yong Musso
ANCAP safety rating (year issued)	5 (2019)	5 (2015)	5 (2015)	5 (2015)	5 (2013)	5 (2011)	5 (2011)	5 (2017)	2 (2016)	N/A
Forward collision warning	Std	Std	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Std
Auton-omous emergency braking (AEB)	Std	Std	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Std
Pedes-trian detection	Std	Std	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Cyclist dete-ction	Std (daylight)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Lane departure warning	Std	Std	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Std
Lane-keep assist	N/A	Std	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Steering assist	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Blind-spot monitoring	N/A	N/A	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Std	N/A	Opt
Rear cross-traffic alert	N/A	N/A	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Opt
Adaptive cruise control	Std	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Speed sign recognition	Std	Std	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Traffic sign recognition	Std	Std	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
High-beam assist	Std	Std	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Std
Driver attention alert	N/A	Std	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Std	N/A	N/A
Tyre pressure monitoring	N/A	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Opt	Std	Std	Opt
Rever-sing camera	Std	Std	Opt	Std	Opt	Std	Opt	Std	N/A	Opt
Surr-ound-view cameras	N/A	N/A	Opt	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	Opt	N/A	Opt
Park assist	N/A	Opt	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Rear parking sensors	Opt	Opt	Opt	Opt	Opt	Opt	Opt	Std	Std	Opt
Front parking sensors	Opt	Opt	Opt	N/A	Opt	Opt	Opt	N/A	N/A	Opt
Airbags	7	6	7	7	6	6	4	6	6	6
Hill-start assist	Std	Std	Std	Opt	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std
Hill-descent control	Std	Std	Opt	Opt	Std	Opt	Std	Std	N/A	Std
Anti-lock brakes (ABS)	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std
Elect-ronic stability control (ESC)	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std

Legend

Std: Standard

Opt: Optional

N/A: Not Available

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