Citroen’s DS 4 and the Honda HR-V have done well in the latest round of Euro NCAP testing while a Dacia, not so much.
The DS 4, from Stellantis’ premium brand, achieved a four star rating in standard form but five stars when equipped with optional safety equipment. Honda’s third generation HR-V wass also awarded a four star rating.
Meanwhile, Dacia ended up on the wrong side with the Jogger, a variant of the Sandero Stepway, earning just one star.
Euro NCAP said the DS 4 comes equipped with solid crash protection equipment that is common across the segment, including an active bonnet for pedestrian protection and a new centre airbag located between driver and front passenger.
But the standard camera only autonomous emergency braking system “underwhelmed” in the track tests simulating accidents with other vehicles, such as rear end crashes, resulting in a four star rating overall. To get a performance that is more comparable to its rivals in the segment, buyers must purchase the optional Safety Pack Plus which adds a radar sensor. The increased performance of this fusion system was enough to lift the car into five-star territory.
The latest generation, hybrid-only Honda HR-V was described as an “all round performer” but the restraint performance in crash tests, in particular for children seated in the rear, was not as robust as expected. This dropped its score in this part of the assessment into the four star band.
The Jogger, sharing the same platform as the two star Sandero Stepway tested by Euro NCAP last year, dropped “cheerlessly” to one star.
The car is offered in five seat, two row or seven seat, three row forms and a seatbelt reminder is not available in the rearmost seats of the latter. Inevitably, the car lost a fraction of a point compared to its sibling model and lost the tiny margin the Sandero had to remain at two stars.