GLC and Discovery Sport score top safety marks

ANCAP has awarded a five-star safety score to the Mercedes-Benz GLC and Land Rover Discovery Sport this week, the pair of premium mid-sized SUVs achieving strong marks across all areas of assessment.

Assessed against 2020-2022 protocol criteria, the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class achieved a high adult occupant protection score of 92 per cent, a child occupant protection score of 92 per cent, a vulnerable road user score of 74 per cent and a safety assist score of 84 per cent.

ANCAP awarded full points for the protection of the driver and child occupants in the side impact test; the driver in the full width frontal test; and front seat passenger in the frontal offset (MPDB) test. However, protection offered to the chest of the driver in the oblique pole test was assessed as Weak.

Concern was noted for the GLC’s design in preventing serious pelvic injury to a struck pedestrian with a Poor impact protection rating and nil score recorded in this area of assessment.

Assessment of the GLC’s active safety capability demonstrated its effectiveness in responding to other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists through its autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, which also includes reversing and turning scenarios.

Good levels of performance were shown in these tests, with crash avoidance or mitigation demonstrated across the tested scenarios.

The GLC’s lane support system was also rated as Good in lane keep assist scenarios, but only Adequate in more critical emergency lane keeping scenarios.

“Mercedes-Benz continues to offer a comprehensive safety package to its customers,” said ANCAP Chief Executive, Carla Hoorweg.

The current generation Land Rover Discovery Sport was first introduced in Australia and New Zealand in 2015 where it achieved a five-star rating against the test criteria of the time.

Following safety upgrades introduced to the Discovery Sport last year, the model subsequently underwent a fresh round of testing against the more stringent 2022 test criteria where it demonstrated continued five-star safety performance across all areas of ANCAP’s assessment.

ANCAP issued the Land Rover Discovery Sport with an 85 per cent score in the adult occupant protection of its assessment, 86 per cent for child occupant protection, 69 per cent for vulnerable road user protection, and 84 per cent for the safety assist portion of the program.

According to ANCAP, enhancements to the AEB system fitted to the Discovery Sport saw it achieve Good results in testing of its AEB car-to-car functionality, including in AEB junction assist and AEB car-to-cyclist test scenarios. Tests of its AEB car-to-pedestrian and lane support systems showed only Adequate performance.

Structurally, the protection offered by the Discovery Sport to vehicle occupants in a crash was sound, with a mix of Good, Adequate and Marginal results recorded. Points were deducted for the Discovery Sport’s performance in side impacts, as the side chest-protecting airbag did not deploy correctly.

“ANCAP’s assessments and vehicle safety have both come a long way since the Land Rover Discovery Sport was first assessed in 2014,” said Hoorweg.

“For the same generation model to be awarded five-stars against ANCAP’s more recent protocols is an impressive achievement.”

The revised ANCAP safety rating for the Land Rover Discovery Sport applies to petrol variants sold from April 2022 in Australia and May 2022 in New Zealand.  The Discovery Sport SE P300e PHEV is unrated.