Great news for those who just bought (or reserved) the all-new Toyota Prado. The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) recently awarded the SUV five stars for safety.
It was given the agency’s highest rating for two reasons. The redesigned Prado offered a high level of passenger protection in a crash, along with the effective performance of its advanced driver assist systems (ADAS).
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
It’s back: This is the officially licensed Mk1 Ford Escort RS ‘continumod’
First drive: The Hyundai RN24 prototype is the right step forward for the N division

For adult occupant protection, ANCAP gave the Prado a total rating of 85 percent. Relatively high loads were measured on dummy’s chests in frontal impact testing, but was generally rated good overall. For side impact testing, the Prado received perfect scores.
The Prado scored near-perfect ratings for child occupant protection. Frontal and side impact tests measured low injury indexes. In those aspect, the SUV was given an overall score of 89 percent.

When it came to advanced driver assist systems, ANCAP noted that the performance was generally good. Autonomous emergency braking proved effective even at higher speeds, along with its lane keep assist system.
Junction assist was well rated, although it failed to stop the vehicle on time when the speeds got higher in crossing a simulated intersection. That test is particularly tough as it simulates a red light runner situation. Nonetheless, the system still did its job at lower speeds to give it a rating of 82 percent.

With all the ratings weighed in, the Toyota Prado’s performance in the major safety categories were enough to give it ANCAP’s highest rating. While there is still some room for improvement, those scores will hard to doubt this SUV’s safety chops from now on.