ANCAP: 1 Series, Kuga, 10 Others Lock in 5-Star Safety Ratings

The Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has announced 5-Star crash safety ratings for 12 new vehicles in the Australian market this week.

Tested locally was Ford's updated FG Falcon MkII range, confirming existing 5-Star results across the range in sedan form, and five stars for the 'styleside' Ute models.

ANCAP has also adopted the 5-Star ratings of 10 other models as tested by its sister organisation Euro NCAP, including examples from Ford, BMW, Holden, Kia, Mazda and Mercedes-Benz.

Ford's European-built Kuga SUV, going on sale here in March, has been awarded a 5-Star rating, along with the larger Holden Captiva 7 Series II.

For Kia, the brand-new Rio light car has picked up the top safety score, as has the still quite-new Optima medium sedan, which hit the Australian market in January this year.

As expected, Mazda's new BT-50 pickup has achieved the same 5-Star result recently awarded to its twin-under-the-skin, the new Ford Ranger.

Volkswagen's new Jetta sedan and the Golf Cabriolet, launched just last month, have also both picked up 5-Star ratings.

Citroen's new C4 hatch and the upmarket DS3 have both been awarded with 5-Star ratings, and Mercedes-Benz' all-new M-Class is also a 5-Star offering, with a local launch set for June 2012.

“These results are a testament to the commitment of vehicle manufacturers to safety. All consumers, including mums and dads as well as fleet buyers, should ensure that they purchase ANCAP 5-star rated cars," ANCAP Chair, Lauchlan McIntosh, said.

“With the holiday period looming your choice of new car may well be a life-saver.”