The new generation Maruti Suzuki Swift has scored just two stars in Global NCAP crash test, both in Adult and Child occupant protection.
The tested model weighed 1,079 kg. Safety equipment included dual front airbags, front seat belt pretentioners, ISOFIX anchorages and standard SBR (seat belt reminder) for driver. The testing was done at 64 km/h and the bodyshell integrity was rated as unstable.
Adult Occupant
In the Adult Occupant protection test, the report said that the protection offered to the driver and passenger head and neck was good. Driver chest showed weak protection while the passenger chest showed adequate protection. Driver’s knees showed marginal protection and passenger’s knees marginal and adequate protection as they could impact with dangerous structures behind the dashboard supported by the Tranfascia tube. The bodyshell was rated as unstable and it was not capable of withstanding further loadings.
Interestingly, the Swift brochure mentions that the ABS is standard across all variants, but the report adds that it does not meet the minimum requirements. More here.
Child Occupant
As for the Child Occupant, the child seat for a 3 year old was installed FWF with ISOFIX and top tether, and was able to prevent excessive forward movement during the impact while it offered good protection and marginal protection to the chest. The 18 month old CRs was installed with ISOFIX and top tether forward facing which explains the loss of head points, it showed poor protection for the head and chest, the report said.
David Ward, Global NCAP Secretary General said – “The latest version of the Swift sold in India has improved and it is good to see dual airbags as standard. This confirms the beneficial effect of the Indian Government’s new crash test regulations. But the performance of the Swift sold in Europe and Japan shows that a better safety performance is still possible so Global NCAP would like to see Maruti Suzuki aim higher.”
Alejandro Furas, Global NCAP Technical Director said – “Maruti Suzuki proved with the Brezza that they can produce locally models with high safety performance. They should do the same with the Swift and at least make it available in the model range added safety features available as standard in the European and Japanese version.”
Leave a Reply
Note: Comments that are unrelated to the post above get automatically filtered into the trash bin.