Ford Ranger enters five stars pick-up club while Volkswagen Amarok reaches just three stars

The New Car Assessment Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean, Latin NCAP, publishes today the seventh crash tests results for 2024 with five stars for the Ford Ranger and three stars for the Volkswagen New Amarok.

The Ford Ranger, produced in Argentina, achieved five stars. The Ranger offers 7 airbags and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) as standard, achieved 93.11% in Adult Occupant, 89.80% in Child Occupant, 74.77% in Pedestrian Protection and Vulnerable Road Users and 92.01% in Safety Assist. The car was tested in frontal impact, side impact, side pole impact, whiplash, pedestrian protection, ESC, Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) City, AEB Interurban, AEB Vulnerable Road Users (VRU), Lane Support Systems (LSS), Speed Assist Systems (SAS) and Blind Spot Detection (BSD).

The frontal impact showed stable structure and stable footwell area, adequate chest protection for the adults, full protection in side impact, adequate protection to the chest and abdomen in pole impact, and full protection for both child occupants in front and side impacts. Whiplash protection was marginal. Pedestrian protection showed head protection mostly adequate and good, but the front edge of the hood showed poor protection, upper leg protection showed areas of poor protection and lower leg protection showed areas of marginal protection. AEB VRU showed good performance achieving full score. AEB City and AEB Interurban showed also good performance and meet availability requirements. LSS is available but as it is not default-on, it could not be considered for scoring. BSD and SAS showed good performance. The model was tested as a voluntary decision of the manufacturer. This result is valid as from VIN AFAFR6CB0SP137990.

The Volkswagen New Amarok, produced in Argentina, achieved three stars. The New Amarok offers 6 airbags and ESC as standard, achieved 80.87% in Adult Occupant, 87.08% in Child Occupant, 62.18% in Pedestrian Protection and Vulnerable Road Users and 66.28% in Safety Assist. It was tested in frontal impact, side impact, side pole impact, whiplash, pedestrian protection, ESC, AEB interurban and LSS.

The frontal impact showed stable structure and stable footwell area, marginal chest protection for the driver and adequate for the passenger’s chest. Side impact protection showed good protection thanks to the standard side body and curtain airbags, and pole impact test showed adequate chest protection for the adult. Whiplash protection was marginal. Both child occupants were installed rearward facing using ISOFIX anchorages, following global best practices, showing overall good protection. Pedestrian protection showed mostly adequate and good protection for the head, and good protection for upper and lower leg. The New Amarok offers Forward Collision Warning as optional that showed good performance. However, as this is not an active braking system it could not score higher in the AEB assessment (the system issues an alert, but the vehicle does not brake on its own). The driving assistance technologies include Lane Departure Warning that could not achieve higher score as this is not an active system (the system issues an alert, but the vehicle does not correct its trajectory on its own). By improving the AEB and LSS scores thru adding active systems with good performance and meeting Latin NCAP’s availability requirements, the model could achieve top star rating. The model was tested as a voluntary decision of the manufacturer.

The Volkswagen New Amarok tested by Latin NCAP is not the same New Amarok as in other markets worldwide. Latin America’s New Amarok is unique to the region and not sold anywhere else, that is why the three stars rating is only valid for this model in Latin America.

Latin NCAP tests the most basic passive safety specification of the models and strongly recommends to buy those versions equipped with tested good performing ADAS technologies, such as AEB, LSS, BSD and RED.

Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Latin NCAP said:

“Congratulations to Ford for joining Latin NCAP’s five stars mid-size pick up club under more stringent protocols, together only with recently tested Mitsubishi L200/Triton. The lack of active driving assistance technologies limited the Volkswagen Amarok to achieve better rating, although the manufacturer offered the same model and platform in Europe better equipped in the past. The three mid-sized pickups tested in 2024 L200/Triton, Ranger and Amarok were voluntarily improved following the market safety demand, responding to Latin NCAP’s protocols. Meanwhile, the Nissan NP300/Navara and the Toyota Hilux that have been tested under the previous protocols, have their ratings outdated. Most of the times, voluntary improvements come as a reaction to Latin NCAP’s ratings, proving once again the catalyzing effect of independent consumer testing and information.”

Stephan Brodziak, Latin NCAP Chairman said:

“The five-star rating for the Ford Ranger demonstrates how manufacturers can prioritize safety and achieve an acceptable protection performance even in competitive segments like mid-size pickups. This achievement, although it could still improve in pedestrian protection, sends a clear message to the market that safety should never be compromised. While the Amarok shows some positive steps, the lack of active safety technologies limits its performance. Volkswagen must ensure that consumers in Latin America receive the same minimum safety standards as in other regions. Latin NCAP’s results underscore the need for manufacturers to commit to equitable safety measures globally.

With this round of Latin NCAP results we reiterate the urgency of implementing a mandatory car star rating labeling system across the region, allowing consumers to make informed decisions based on transparent and independent safety ratings. Such a system would empower buyers and push manufacturers to prioritize safety in our region.”

Ford Ranger (7 airbags)
Read the full crash test report
Watch the crash test video
Download crash test images

Volkswagen New Amarok (6 airbags)
Read the full crash test report
Watch the crash test video
Download crash test images

About Latin NCAP

The Latin New Car Assessment Programme (Latin NCAP) was launched in 2010 to develop a regional system of independent crashworthiness and safety rating across Latin America and Caribbean (LAC). Latin NCAP replicates similar consumer testing programmes developed over the last thirty years in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, and which have proved to be very effective in improving the safety of motor vehicles. Since 2010 Latin NCAP has published the results of more than 170 models, all results available at www.latinncap.com/en/results.

Latin NCAP acknowledges the support received by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP), International Consumer Research and Testing (ICRT), FIA Foundation, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Road Safety Initiative. Latin NCAP is an Associate member of Global NCAP and supports the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety and the Stop the Crash Partnership.

More information: www.latinncap.com