The marketing team at Great Wall Motors claim the replacement for the V240 ute dubbed the Steed is “all-new” and offers “outstanding levels of performance, value, safety and comfort” however the ANCAP test results paint a different picture with the Steed scoring a 2 star safety rating and a total score of 16.49 out of a possible 37.
ANCAP Chief Executive Officer James Goodwin said: “This is a disappointing result for consumers and the brand,”
“While the Steed is equipped with six airbags and electronic stability control, features which were not offered on the previous model, there has been little change to the vehicle’s structure to improve the safety of the passenger cabin.”
When it comes to safety there’s far more involved than having the relevant safety features ticked for the build process, a large factor is how well the chassis is engineered to dissipate energy from various impact angles and it’s here that the Steed falls short.
In the event of a front collision the drivers legs were most at risk due to footwell panel separation and excessive deformation for the footwell area in general. The steering column was isolated as a potential cause for knee injury for the driver while the dash components also pose a risk to the driver and passenger. ANCAP also note the lack of top tether anchorages for child restraints making the Steed unsuitable for young children.
