Toyota SUV Tops Chinese Model in Safety Tests

The Toyota Rush SUV gets four stars in crash tests by the Southeast Asian safety agency, while Great Wall Motor’s Haval M4 SUV only manages three stars.

The New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries, known as ASEAN NCAP, says the increased popularity of SUVs led it to test the two models to ensure they meet minimum United Nations safety standards. The top rating in each category is five stars.

Of the seven SUVs crash-tested by ASEAN NCAP, the Rush is the first Toyota model. The vehicle tested is built in Indonesia, and although electronic stability control was not available, antilock braking is standard across all variants.

It scored four stars for adult-occupant protection with 12.5 points and four stars for child-occupant protection with 82% compliance. The Rush, which shares a body similar to that of Daihatsu’s Terios, is available only in the Indonesian and Malaysian markets.

The Rush child-occupant-protection result was second only to that of the Honda CR-V, which reached 86% compliance in earlier tests.

Great Wall’s energy-efficient Haval M4 earned three stars for adult-occupant protection with 9.6 points, but managed four stars for child-occupant protection with 79% compliance. It is first China-brand car tested by ASEAN NCAP.

The agency says the Haval M4’s adult-occupant score is relatively low compared with its other crash-test results, but the M4’s child-occupant score topped three of its SUV rivals, the Honda HR-V  (73% compliance), Subaru XV (67%) and Pajero Sport (40%).