American utility vehicle giant Jeep revealed the new Wrangler at the end of last year. 2018 Jeep Wrangler is now being launched in many countries around the world and India is also expecting the arrival of this Iconic SUV in its latest avatar.
Meanwhile, the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) conducted a crash test of the 2018 Jeep Wrangler and it surprisingly got a one star out of the five-star rating. Despite it being a fresh entrant to markets around the world, 2018 Jeep Wrangler's performance at the crash test was poor.
Euro NCAP says that a seatbelt reminder and a simple driver-set speed limiter in the Wrangler lags far behind its competitors. Automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist and blind-spot monitoring system are some safety features that are lacking in the 2018 Jeep Wrangler.
Euro NCAP used the Jeep Wrangler Sahara four-door Unlimited model for this test. The SUV scored 50 per cent for adult occupants, 69 percent for child occupants, and only 32 percent for safety assist features.
"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. It is high time we saw a product from the Fiat-Chrysler group offering safety to rival its competitors," said Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general, Euro NCAP.
Euro NCAP found that the connection between the A-pillar and the trans-facia beam of the Wrangler was damaged in a way that indicated the structure would be unable to withstand higher loads in a frontal offset test. Similarly, deformation of the footwell showed that the structure had reached the limit of its integrity.
The result is disappointing considering that the Jeep Compass scored the maximum five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test last year. The SUV scored 90 percent in adult occupant safety, 83 percent in child occupant safety and 64 percent in pedestrian safety during the test. Safety features in the tested model had speed assistance, seat belt reminder, lane support and AEB Interurban and these helped the SUV to score 59 percent in safety assist.
