EuroNCAP, which recently begun testing crash-worthiness of pick-ups due to more consumer demand, has been shocked by the terrible performance of 2 heavy, large vehicles.
The Nissan Navara, a pick-up of the same size as the Ford Ranger, scored a miserable half-star out of 5, the worst score EuroNCAP has given for a vehicle currently on sale in Europe, and indeed the worst score EVER given. This is the same score as the Chinese-made Brilliance, which also crashed spectacularly badly.
According to the crash testers, the Navara's "chassis rail collapsed on the impacted side, allowing a significant level of intrusion into the driver's footwell. As a result, the dummy readings indicated a high risk of injury to the left tibia. In addition, the accelerator pedal moved rearwards more than 200mm (8 inches), presenting a further risk of injury to the driver's lower legs. Structures in the dashboard presented a hazard to the knees and femurs of both the driver and the passenger. Protection of the driver's chest was rated as weak owing to the extent to which the chest was compressed, combined with the threat posed by the unstable passenger compartment. The passenger's neck was bent rearwards in the impact, presenting a high risk of life-threatening injury".
What shames the Navara further is that the Mitsubishi L200, a pick-up of similar size, scored a respectable 4 out of 5 stars, with "the passenger compartment remaining stable during the impact.".
The Isuzu D-max/Rodeo also faired poorly, getting only 1.5 stars out of 5.
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