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The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) dealt the Kia Stinger a mixed safety rating this week, headlined by a three-star assessment of its entry-level variants, while the Jaguar F-Pace was awarded the maximum five stars.
The three-star Stinger rating only applies to the base 200S and 330S grades, which lost points due to their lack of auto emergency braking (AEB) and lane support (LSS) systems as standard.
Meanwhile, a penalty was handed out to all models in the full-width frontal 50km/h crash test (6.45 out of eight points), as none of them feature standard rear seatbelt pre-tensioners.
The rear passenger was also not properly restrained in this test, slipping beneath the lap portion of their seatbelt, leading to 'poor' pelvis, 'marginal' chest and 'acceptable' neck protection. All areas of the driver's body had 'good' protection.
Nevertheless, higher-spec Stingers – including the 200Si, 330Si, GT-Line and GT – were given five stars thanks to their standard inclusion of AEB and LSS. Both ratings apply to vehicles sold from October onwards.
A perfect score (three out of three) for their low-speed AEB system pushed the range-topping Stingers ahead of their line-up-opening counterparts in the 'Adult Occupant Protection' category, tallying 34.94 to 31.94 out of 38 points.
Scoring for alternative tests in this category was otherwise identical, including the aforementioned full-width front crash test.
The frontal offset 64km/h crash test returned a 7.65 out of eight, with 'acceptable' protection provided for the driver's chest and lower legs, as well as the passenger's lower legs.
Meanwhile, the Stinger was a assessed a 7.83 out of eight in the oblique pole at 32km/h crash test, with 'acceptable' driver chest protection offered.
A 2.01 out of three was given in the whiplash protection test, due to 'marginal' second-row protection, while results were perfect (eight out of eight) in the 50km/h side impact crash test.
Similarly, the same score (39.72 out of 49 points) for all Stingers was totalled in the 'Child Occupant Protection' category – regardless of variant.
The six- and 10-year-old child dummies scored 11.33 and 9.39 out of 15 respectively, with the latter having 'marginal' chest and head protection in the front offset crash test, while the former had a mix of 'good' or 'acceptable'. The side impact crash test saw 'good' protection for all areas of both dummies.
Child safety features (seven out of seven) and seat installation (12 out of 12) checks returned maximum scores.
As mentioned, the 'Safety Assist' category was a major point of difference for the Stinger variants, with the speed assistance system (zero out of three) and seatbelt reminders (three out of three) tests providing the only shared results.
The F-Pace's five-star rating applies to all variants sold from July last year onwards.
Overall scores of 8.43 and three out of 12 points separated the higher- and lower-grade models respectively, with the former performing well in tests of their LSS (2.80 out of three) and high-speed AEB (2.63 out of three) systems. Comparatively, the latter scored zero in both of these tests.
The 'Pedestrian Protection' category also differed, as the low- and high-spec Stingers tallied 33.00 to 28.46 out of 42 points respectively, with solid testing of the AEB system's pedestrian detection function (4.53 out of six) proving to be the sole difference-maker.
Mostly 'good' or 'adequate' protection was provided by the front-end during the pedestrian crash test, despite 'poor' results being recorded on the A-pillars and along the base of the windscreen.
According to ANCAP chief executive James Goodwin, buyer expectations of the Stinger were high but have not been met safety-wise.
“As a new market entrant, the Kia Stinger has generated a lot of public interest and consumers should expect a five-star safety rating for this calibre of vehicle,” he said.
“Australasian customers should feel let down that important safety features are being left out of the vehicles we’re being supplied. We would urge Kia to offer the same safety specification across all variants and all markets to ensure the best safety outcomes.”
Comparatively, the F-Pace offered strong performance in all categories, led by the 'Adult Occupant Protection' category (35.51 out of 38 points), which featured perfect results in the side impact (eight out of eight) and oblique pole (eight out of eight) crash tests.
The 'Child Occupant Protection' category (41.98 out of 49 points) was not far behind, followed by the 'Pedestrian Protection' (33.90 out of 42) and 'Safety Assist' (8.75 out of 12) categories.
These scores were partly thanks to the inclusion of AEB, LSS (Lane Support Systems) and speed assistance systems as standard across the mid-size SUV's range.
The F-Pace's five-star rating applies to all variants sold from July last year onwards.
Testing for both vehicles was conducted by ANCAP's European affiliate, Euro NCAP.
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