Chinese Automaker’s Pickup Gets Poor Safety Rating
“While the Steed is equipped with six airbags and electronic stability control, features which were not offered on the previous model, there has been little change…to improve the safety of the passenger cabin,” ANCAP CEO James Goodwin says.
Chinese automaker Great Wall’s new Steed pickup truck almost fails an Australian safety test, receiving only a 2-star rating out of a possible five.
The Australasian New Car Assessment Program says the underpinnings of the Steed differ little from those of the previous-generation dual-cab pickup that carried the V240 model name, despite Great Wall’s claims the vehicle is all-new and offers “outstanding levels of performance, value, safety and comfort.”
ANCAP recommends vehicle buyers accept nothing less than 5-star ratings.
James Goodwin, CEO of ANCAP, says it’s a disappointing result for consumers and the brand’s 2-wheel-drive gasoline-powered dual-cab variants. Other variants remain unrated.
“While the Steed is equipped with six airbags and electronic stability control, features which were not offered on the previous model, there has been little change to the vehicle’s structure to improve the safety of the passenger cabin,” Goodwin says in a statement.
The ANCAP testers found the Steed had excessive footwell deformation, separation of footwell panels and pedal displacement in the frontal-offset-crash test. Steering-column components were a potential source of knee injury for the driver, and dashboard components potentially could injure both the driver and passenger.
Protection of the driver and front passenger from whiplash injuries was marginal.
“The Steed was eligible for pedestrian testing; however, this was not conducted due to its poor performance in the frontal-offset test,” ANCAP says. “The Steed is fitted with side head-protecting airbags that makes it eligible for a pole test. However, this test was not conducted due to its poor performance in the frontal offset test.”
The ANCAP report had more bad news for Great Wall: “There are no top tether anchorages for child restraints. This vehicle is not suitable for transporting young children.”
ANCAP had better news for the Honda Civic, sedan and hatchback, Hyundai i30 and the Marco Polo Activity, a Mercedes-Benz recreational van, all of which received 5-star ratings.
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