2020 Isuzu MU-X gets five-star ASEAN NCAP rating

The third-generation Isuzu MU-X has been awarded a five-star safety rating by the New Car Assessment Programme for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP), a few months after the seven-seat SUV made its debut in Thailand back in October.

The MU-X’s assessment result was extended from the D-Max’s crash test result performed by ASEAN NCAP in January, the same as it was with the second-generation model. According to the report, this is based on the technical evidence provided by Isuzu that shows the MU-X’s platform has a similar crashworthiness structure and restraint system as the tested D-Max.

In the adult occupation protection (AOP) test, the MU-X scored 30.36 out of 36 possible points, which is marginally less than the D-Max with 30.76 points. A lower head protection technology (HPT) evaluation of two out of four points is the main difference, with off-set deformable barrier (ODB) and side impact tests being the same.

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Meanwhile, in terms of child occupant protection (COP), the MU-X recorded a score of 44.37 out of 49 possible points, which is higher than the D-Max’s 42.78 points. In this test, the SUV scored 1.59 points higher in terms of installation with 11.37 out of 12 possible points, while the pick-up truck registered 9.78 points.

Lastly, the MU-X surges ahead of the D-Max when it comes to the safety assist test, as certain variants in Thailand are offered with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), which isn’t the case with the D-Max. As a result, it managed 15.85 out of 18 possible points, compared to the 13.40 points that the pick-up received.