Proton Jumbuck turned in the worst crash test ute performance and adjudged not fit for the road
Lim Kit Siang
The Proton management should respond to the shocking report from New Zealand where Proton Jumbuck turned in the worst crash test ute performance and adjudged not fit for the road.
The two-door Jumbuck utility vehicle (ute) was given dismal safety ratings by independent crash test organisation Ancap (Australasian New Car Assessment Programme) in New Zealand, awarded the lowest possible one-star rating after its performance in frontal offset and side impact crash tests.
Ancap scores vehicles from zero to five stars, depending on the safety features and protection of the driver and passengers.
The ute’s cabin was severely deformed in the 64km/h offset crash test. It offered poor head protection for the driver and passenger, and poor leg protection for the driver.
It also lacked airbags, ABS, and electronic stability control – a feature that senses skidding and individually brakes the wheels, helping the driver to regain control.
The Proton Jumbuck joined two other utes available in New Zealand in being given dismal safety ratings by Ancap
The New Zealand media today quoted Consumer NZ testing manager Hamish Wilson as saying that potential buyers should steer clear of these utes.
“We don’t believe these vehicles should be allowed on the road.”
He said the minimum standard for a new ute should be four stars. The Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi Triton and several Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore utes achieved this.
The difference in safety between a two-star and a four-star ute was significant, he said.
“It can mean the difference between walking away from a crash and being taken away in an ambulance.”
The following is the report from New Zealand Herald:
