The Nissan Juke and Pathfinder SUVs have both been awarded five-star safety ratings by independent crash-tester ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program).
ANCAP says the maximum five-star result applies to naturally aspirated front-wheel-drive Juke ST variants, while the turbocharged (ST-S) and all-wheel-drive (Ti-S) models are unrated at this stage.
Tested by EuroNCAP in 2011, the Nissan Juke scores 33.03 points out of 37 according to ANCAP’s test criteria, including 13.69 out of 16 in the frontal offset test and 15.34 out of 16 in the side impact test.
The low point is the Juke’s ‘marginal’ pedestrian protection rating, with ANCAP reporting: “The bonnet … was almost completely poor in those areas where an adult’s head would hit. The front edge of the bonnet also offered poor protection in almost every area tested.”
The Nissan Juke launches in Australia next week.
The five-star result for the Nissan Pathfinder applies to all variants in the all-new fourth-generation range, improving on its predecessor’s four-star rating awarded in 2006.
The Pathfinder’s overall score of 35.73 points out of 37 makes it the third-highest-rated large SUV ever tested by ANCAP, placing it behind only the dearer Mercedes-Benz M-Class and Range Rover.
The Pathfinder scores 14.73 out of 16 in the frontal impact test and full marks in the side impact test, though like the Juke managed only a ‘marginal’ rating in the pedestrian protection component of the assessment.
The new Nissan Pathfinder goes on sale in Australia at the end of this month.
