The Jeep Wrangler fell down on safety equipment in the European program’s safety test.
For those who aren’t aware, Euro NCAP (or European New Car Assessment Program) is a European agency that crash tests and scores new cars. They function similarly to the NHTSA and IIHS here in the U.S., and they just released their test results for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler. And the results are alarming. In European crash tests, the Wrangler scored a miserly one star rating, out of five.
Now, as with our evermore complex safety tests, there’s always more behind these scores. We’re talking specifically about a Sahara Unlimited four-door model. However, while Euro NCAP tested that model, their ratings apply to all Wrangler models, which in Europe comprise a 2.0-liter turbo gas engine or a 2.2-liter turbo diesel. According to the assessment report, the Wrangler JL scored poorly when it comes to pedestrian impacts. The injury results for adult and child crash test dummies were mixed. Finally, the Wrangler was marked down for its lack of lane keep or emergency braking assists.
In crash testing, the tests found adults are at risk of chest injuries in a head-on crash. The full width test crashes the car into a deformable barrier across its entire width. However, the Wrangler scored well for head, pelvic and leg injuries in that test.
In the offset test, where only part of the car absorbs the brunt of the impact, the results were more mixed. Chest injuries were again prevalent, particularly with the driver. Upper leg injuries were scored as “Marginal” for the passenger, while the car scored “Marginal” on leg injuries for the driver. The Wrangler JL scored well for whiplash protection, as well as in a side impact test against another car.
Child and pedestrian detection
But what about if you have a child in the back seat? Euro NCAP tests for that as well. So far as the Wrangler JL is concerned, the tests were mostly good. However, larger children are at risk of possible chest injury in a frontal impact (the car scored “Adequate”). In a side impact, children are at possible risk of head injury, but otherwise earned a score of “Good”.
The Jeep Wrangler JL pedestrian impact score was also a mixed bag. It really depends on where the pedestrian hits the car. The bumper generally protected the pedestrians well from an impact. Areas along the front end of the hood scored “Good”, while the edge of the hood was “Poor”.
In a statement, Euro NCAP secretary general Michiel van Ratingen said, “It is truly disappointing to see a brand-new car being put on sale in 2018 with no autonomous braking system and no lane assistance.” For reference, Wranglers sold in North America do have automatic braking as part of the Adaptive Cruise Control package.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not tested the new Wrangler in frontal crash tests yet. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) also doesn’t have results for the new Wrangler yet.
Update: An FCA U.S. spokesperson provided us with this statement on the matter:
“The new Jeep Wrangler – an award-winning vehicle with unmatched capability and worldwide appeal – meets or exceeds federal safety requirements in every market in which it is sold.
Further, the Jeep Wrangler is engineered to deliver superior performance and unique driving experiences under the most demanding conditions. Testing protocols that apply exclusively to urban scenarios may not align with such a vehicle.
Notwithstanding such misalignment, the new Jeep Wrangler benefits from fully boxed, body-on-frame construction featuring pressure-formed front-rail sections, with high-strength steel in all critical areas. The vehicle offers more than 75 advanced safety and security features, including four standard-equipment air bags and, starting in early 2019, an advanced Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system that combines the benefits of camera and radar technologies.”
See the full report below (Document: Euro NCAP official report):
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