After ANCAP, Euro NCAP awards 5-star safety rating to Isuzu D-MAX

KUALA LUMPUR: It was in September 2020 that the Australian New Car Assessment Program, commonly known as ANCAP awarded the 2021 Isuzu D-Max five-star safety rating. Now we hear that the EURO NCAP tested the D-Max as well and gave it a similar score. While the ANCAP rating applies to all the variants of the pickup on sale in Australia and New Zealand, the Euro NCAP score is limited to the European countries.

Here is a glimpse of the 2021 D-Max scorecard by Euro NCAP -

• Adult Occupant Protection - 84%
• Child Occupant Protection - 86%
• Vulnerable Road User Protection - 69%
• Safety Assist Score - 83%

It is to be noted that while some tests previously performed by ANCAP were repeated by the Euro NCAP for the purpose of checking their validity, other test scores were carried over.
Euro NCAP tested 2020 built Isuzu D-MAX Crew Cab 1.9 diesel, LHD varainr, whose kerb weight reads 2030 kg.

Let us now discuss each test in detail, starting with the Adult Occupant Protection test which involves frontal impact, lateral impact, rear impact, and rescue & extrication test.

During the front offset impact test, the 2020 D-Max’s passenger compartment remained stable. The driver's upper leg and chest protection were rated marginal; weak protection was reported for the driver's right knee. The passenger's chest protection was rated marginal. For other critical body regions, the rating was good, however, the protection was rated marginal due to the dashboard structure.

In the full-width rigid wall test, the protection was rated good for all body parts of driver and passenger, except for the rear passenger chest that was rated marginal.

In the side barrier test and side pole impact, the protection was good for all critical body parts.

In the child protection front and lateral impact test, the D-Max secured full points, 24 on 24. Note, six- and ten-year-old child dummies were used for the test by Euro NCAP.

As for the vulnerable road user protection, the D-Max bonnet provides good or adequate protection to the head of the struck pedestrian. The bumper also provided good or adequate protection to the legs and pelvis of the pedestrian. The pickup's autonomous emergency braking system can detect cyclists and pedestrians and other vehicles as well. In the test, the AEB system response to cyclists was marginal, pedestrian was adequate, however, it was not able to detect pedestrians to the car’s rear.

As mentioned earlier the D-Max scored 13.4 out of 16 or 83 percent in the safety assist test that comprises speed assist, occupant status monitoring, lane support, and AEB car-to-car. The said score is attributed to features like the e-Call system, multi-collision system, speed assist system, lane assist system, and autonomous emergency braking. The pickup's overall safety score was a perfect five.

Also Read: 2020 Isuzu MU-X scores 5-star safety rating