Snapshot
- Range Rover and Rover Sport get five-star ANCAP rating under 2020-2022 test criteria
- No center airbag, but still “respectable” results given the interior size
- Stricter testing standards are coming in 2023.
The Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has awarded the new-generation L460-series Range Rover and the related L461-series Range Rover Sport a full five-star safety score under the 2022 testing criteria.
This applies to all petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) variants of both the luxury off-roaders. They earned full points for adult and child protection in the side impact test and the driver in the pool test.
Despite not including a center airbag to prevent the driver and front passenger from being hit in the event of a crash, ANCAP notes, “due to the size and design of the cabin, performance in the long-impact test was still respectable”. .
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It’s worth noting that the automotive safety body used a standard Range Rover example for most of its tests, while frontal offset and pole tests were carried out with the Range Rover Sport PHEV to confirm the results.
The sleeker Rover Sport scored one percentage point better in the adult protection category (84 percent), but three percentage points lower than its boxer SUV sibling for weaker road user protection (69 percent).
Both models have 86 percent child occupant protection and 84 percent safety assist ratings.
Their autonomous emergency braking (AEB) active safety assist system performed well to detect and avoid vehicles and pedestrians in front. However, Reverse AEB is not offered for pedestrians.
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The road ahead
ANCAP is set to implement 2023 safety standards in the new year, focusing on floodwater testing, reviewing systems that detect when a child is left in the vehicle, and New car to motorcycle safety assist tests.
The Range Rover currently starts at $226,806 before on-road costs and the Rover Sport is priced from $139,160 before on-road costs.
Sources:
All petrol, diesel and PHEV variants of the three-row Land Rover Range Rover and its partner model, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport, scored five stars with full points for protection of adult and child occupants in the side impact test. Drivers in the Kei and Diagonal Pole Tests. AEB car-to-car and AEB car-to-pedestrian (forward) performance also performed well, however active avoidance is not offered when reversing from pedestrians.
A center airbag is not offered on the Range Rover or Range Rover Sport, but due to the size and design of the cabin, performance in the long-distance impact test was still respectable.