New Maruti Dzire Outperforms Volkswagen Virtus, Skoda Slavia And Hyundai Verna In Adult Crash Test Safety
Many of Maruti’s cars currently on sale, are known for being unsafe. The increasing buyer awareness of Global NCAP (GNCAP) crash test ratings has only worsened things for them. However, the recently launched fourth-generation Dzire has given the carmaker an astounding comeback, by scoring a full 5-star GNCAP rating. It even outperformed the Virtus, Slavia and Verna in adult safety scores!
We are talking just about the adult safety scores. Usually, in Global NCAP crash tests, two major aspects are tested- adult occupant safety and child occupant safety. Separate scores and star ratings are given to vehicles in both these areas. A combination of these is then considered for calculating the overall scores and stars.
Adult safety is calculated based on how many points the vehicle manages to score out of 34. Take the case of safe-yet-affordable sedans- Slavia, Virtus, Verna and Dzire. The new Dzire scored 31.24 points out of the 34 in Adult safety, and in other words, 5 stars. This is the highest adult safety score among the four models. The body shell and foot well were rated stable.
The new Dzire is the most affordable of the four. All other sedans belong to a segment above and cost significantly more than the fourth-gen Maruti, which has a starting price of just 6.79 lakh, ex-showroom.
The Verna has also scored a five-star safety rating, securing 28.18 out of 34 points in Adult protection. The head, neck, abdomen, and pelvis of the adult dummies had good protection in the crash. The safety suite consists of front, side, and curtain airbags, ESC, and ISOFIX mounts.
The Virtus and Slavia are both products of Volkswagen Group’s India 2.0 program. Both cars are based on the same MQB A0 IN platform and have both scored 5 stars in GNCAP ratings. The Virtus managed to score 29.71 out of 34 points in adult safety. The Slavia also has similar scores.
Clearly, the fourth-generation Dzire has scored more points than all of its opponents. It currently ranks as the safest option in terms of offering adult occupant protection and makes for an attractive package.
Who Tops The Adult Safety Chart?
You might now be wondering which vehicle tops the chart if we are to compile a list of the safest cars and SUVs in Adult occupant protection. The facelifted Tata Harrier and Safari have the highest adult occupant scores- 33.05 out of 34- the highest score ever by an Indian car. The SUVs now come with a more solid build and a host of safety features like six airbags and a knee airbag, level 2 ADAS, ESP, ABS, TPMS and more.
Second on the list is the new Tata Nexon. This SUV has always been noted for its excellent safety levels, and the new model has only made things better. It scores 32.2 out of 34 in offering Adult Occupant protection, in GNCAP crash tests. The fact that Indian cars and SUVs top the list in offering adult safety brings pride and joy for sure.
How Does Global NCAP Assess Adult Safety?
Zero Foundation’s ‘Global New Car Assessment Programme (G-NCAP)’ makes use of closely monitored crash simulations to assess the safety offered by various vehicles. Various crashes like front offset, side impact, side pole etc are performed. The vehicles carry speeds of 50-64 kph at the time of impact. Dummies are used as passengers, and the damage that the crash causes to them is analysed to get safety scores. Two adult dummies are used to assess Adult Safety offered. These are seated at the front. Damage caused to critical areas like the head, neck, chest, knee, femur, pelvis, leg and foot are then measured and analysed, to arrive at the final scores.