The latest batch of ANCAP safety test results are out, and the Subaru Outback has been awarded the maximum 5-star safety rating and achieved record scores to boot.
Also known as the Greatest Outback of all Time (GOOAT), the sixth generation Outback gained the top star rating against the latest 2020-2022 criteria, then knocked the ball out of the park with the highest scores to date across three of the four key assessment areas. Following the release into the Australian and New Zealand markets earlier this year, the full suite of independent safety tests on the Subaru Outback are now complete.
ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, Carla Hoorweg says: “The Subaru Outback has comprehensively impressed, achieving the highest scores we’ve seen so far when testing to our current protocols.”
“The Outback scored 91% for Child Occupant Protection, 84% for Vulnerable Road User Protection and a very high score of 96% for Safety Assist – out-performing its closest rival in this assessment area by 7%,” she adds.
The AA reviewed the Subaru Outback in May 2021 and were very impressed with the latest features and assists incorporated in the design, especially with a driver monitoring system that ensures the driver’s eyes remain fixed on the road and sounds an alert should the driver become distracted.
Maximum points were scored by the Outback in Lane Keep Assist (LKA) and Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK) test scenarios, and close to full points in the Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) car-to-car scenarios. Maximum points were scored for its protection of pedestrians in upper and lower leg impacts. It also scored full points for its ability to actively avoid forward collisions with pedestrians through autonomous braking.
A Driver Monitoring System (DMS) is fitted as standard – one of the first production cars to directly monitor the driver’s state of alertness through eye movement, as well as indirectly monitoring through steering inputs. This innovative technology is expected to become more mainstream in the coming years through ANCAP encouragement.
Following ANCAP’s announcement, Subaru of New Zealand’s Managing Director Wallis Dumper says: “We expected Outback to achieve a 5-star safety rating as it’s received 5 stars since 2004 and it was simply a matter of time before it received these record scores.”
“As with all Subarus, the Outback incorporates a broad suite of the latest Subaru technologies aimed at achieving significant real-world safety levels for all occupants.”
The award-winning EyeSight® Driver Assist Technology is developed to help keep drivers safer on the roads, by using three dimensional images captured by cameras mounted at the top of the windscreen to provide audible and visual warnings prompting the driver to take action.
“It is not just the Outback that deserves recognition as our entire Subaru model line has had a 5-star ANCAP safety rating for many years,” Mr Dumper concludes.
Full details on the safety performance of the Subaru Outback can be viewed here.
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