ANCAP to retest new Holden Commodore

Independent vehicle safety watchdog ANCAP will crash-test Holden’s first imported Commodore in  Australia within weeks.

The surprise move, which was to have occurred in Sydney next Wednesday (February 28), comes just three weeks after ANCAP awarded the 2018 Commodore a maximum five-star rating on February 1.

The top ANCAP rating was based on a Euro NCAP test of a left-hand drive 1.6-litre diesel Opel Insignia liftback, with which Holden’s ZB Commodore is twinned.

However, apart from being right-hand drive, Holden’s version is powered by a larger 2.0-litre diesel engine (as well as 3.6-litre petrol V6 and 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engines) and is also available in wagon and crossover forms.

At the subsequent media launch of the new Commodore, Holden indicated its first imported Commodore in five generations was not crash tested locally on cost grounds.

Holden is yet to respond to our request for comment, but ANCAP told motoring.com.au this afternoon there was “nothing fishy” about the apparent backflip in its decision to test the Commodore locally.

It said the test was simply another example of ANCAP’s policy of conducting “audit tests” to verify manufacturer-supplied crash test data used to make an overseas crash test result applicable to Australia.

ANCAP cites up to five similar examples in the past 18 months, including the latest Hyundai i30 and Suzuki Swift.

It said Holden lodged a “very comprehensive submission” stating why Euro NCAP’s five-star Insignia safety rating should apply across the Commodore range in Australia, where it’s now on sale.

Despite this, the Australian safety body purchased a V6 all-wheel drive Commodore to crash-test locally, but shipping delays have prevented it from being ready in time for next week’s scheduled test, which has been postponed at least a week.

ANCAP chief executive James Goodwin confirmed the Commodore would be retested in Australia soon.

“I can confirm the Commodore is on the forward test program and will be tested locally in the coming weeks,” he told motoring.com.au..

“Additional independent testing such as this is a regular part of our ratings process.

“A five-star rating applies to all Commodore’s currently on sale.”

As we’ve reported, the 2018 Commodore achieves the same top ANCAP safety mark as its Australian-made predecessor despite a stricter 2018 scoring regime that places more emphasis on active safety aids.

This is in part because all models – liftback, Sportwagon and Tourer crossover – come standard with autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and active lane-keep assist (LKA).

In European NCAP testing, the 2017 Opel Insignia Grand Sport 1.6CDTi scored a solid 93% Adult Occupant Protection score, plus 85% for Child Occupant Protection, 78% for Pedestrian Protection and 77% for Safety Assist.

Those results have been echoed by ANCAP, which said its five-star rating applies to all ZB Commodore variants available across Australia and New Zealand because Holden’s version of the Insignia offers “comparable safety performance”.

In detail, the ZB scored 35.54 out of 38 points (93 per cent) for Adult Occupant Protection after scoring 7.08 out of eight points in the 64km/h frontal offset crash test, 7.52 out of eight points in the 50km/h side impact test, eight out of eight points in the 32km/h oblique pole test, 2.14 out of three points for whiplash (rear impact) protection and 2.81 out of three points for AEB City.

“The passenger compartment remained stable in the frontal offset test,” said ANCAP. “Chest protection of both the driver and passenger was ADEQUATE, as was driver lower leg protection.

“Protection of all other critical body regions was GOOD. All doors remained closed during the crash. After the crash, doors could be opened with normal effort. In the full width frontal test, protection was ADEQUATE for the chest of the driver and rear passenger and was GOOD for all other critical body areas.

“In both the side impact test and the pole test, GOOD protection was provided to all critical body regions.”

The Insignia also achieved a top ‘GOOD’ mark for Child Occupant Protection with 41.96 out of 49 points (85 per cent), Pedestrian Protection with 32.83 out of 42 points (78 per cent) and Safety Assist with 9.35 out of 12 points (77 per cent).

Under Euro NCAP’s new 2018 test regime, ANCAP said the Insignia’s AEB system, which is operational between 8 and 80km/h, “showed GOOD performance at the low speeds typical of city driving”.

It praised the ZB Commodore for being fitted as standard across the range with twin front, side chest- and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags, seatbelt reminders for all occupants, and lane departure waning and lane-keeping systems (above 60km/h).

However, it noted that no models are available with rear side chest/pelvis airbags, a fatigue detection or reminder system, pre- or post-crash safety system or rear cross-traffic alert, and that entry models lack blind-spot monitoring, auto high-beam, active cruise control and adaptive headlights.