The subcompact MPV segment is quickly becoming a competitive one; following the launch of the
Honda BR-V in 2016 at the Philippine International Motor Show, it has now been joined by entries from its rival Japanese brands with the
Mitsubishi Xpander being launched in March 2018 and the
Toyota Rush only a week ago--though Toyota wants you to believe the Rush is actually an SUV sans a four-wheel-drive system in favor of a rear-wheel-drive setup.
Despite all the bells and whistles offered by all the three models though, which one would protect its occupants the most? Fortunately, the
New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) has put all three through its series of crash tests and we've compiled the results here for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOfoEDxh7i0
The
Honda BR-V received a score of
14.79 points for the
Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) category while its
Child Occupant Protection (COP) score met
72 percent compliance of the tests, giving it a
4-Star rating. Equipped with
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) though and the BR-V's rating is automatically upgraded to
5-Stars. It's also equipped with
dual airbags and
frontal seat belt reminders (SBRs) for both the driver and front seat passenger, and a host of electronic nannies like an
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) and
Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD).
It has to be noted though that the ASEAN NCAP's rating system then was different, thus the lack of a total cumulative score broken down through three categories, including a vehicle's
Safety Assist Technologies (SATs). The ASEAN NCAP's tests on the Honda BR-V was conducted in February 2016 whereas the current 2017-2020 rating protocol was launched in November 29, 2016.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd_pIk-YlGc
As for the
Mitsubishi Xpander, it was given a
4-Star rating with an overall score of
71.66 points broken down as follows:
39.08 points (AOP),
18.69 (COP), and
13.89 points (SATs). The Xpander as tested by ASEAN NCAP had
dual airbags and
frontal seat belt reminders (SBRs) for both the driver and front seat passenger as well as an
Emergency Stop Signal System, all of which are standard in the Philippine-market model save for the frontal SBRs based on the vehicle's product brochure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bNKI6YDAj8
For the
Toyota Rush, it earned a
5-Star rating with its cumulative score of
84.03 points, with
43.25 points for
AOP, 21.33 points for
COP and
19.44 points for
SATs. According to ASEAN NCAP, the all-new Rush was significantly improved with the addition of Electronic Stability Control, ABS, and SBRs for both front and rear passengers as standard--all of which are available in the Philippine-market model save for the SBRs, at least according to its product brochure.
Now that you've seen how all three vehicles would fare in a crash, which one would you buy?
