The Made-in-India Maruti Suzuki S-Presso was recently subjected to the Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) crash test under its Safer Cars for Africa programme. The small car managed to score three stars safety rating for adult occupant protection and two stars for child occupant protection. One must note that the tested model was the same updated version that’s retailed in the Indian market.
The safety watchdogs had crash tested the S-Presso in November 2020 and the model received zero star rating. It had a driver-side airbag, while its updated version gets dual airbags as standard safety fitment. Global NCAP decided to test the S-Presso again as there were reports suggesting that its South Africa-spec model is safer than the model sold in India.
Maruti S-Presso Global NCAP Crash Test
The recently tested Maruti Suzuki S-Presso comes equipped with the standard dual airbags and seatbelts with pretensioners and force limiters. It provided good protection to the driver and passenger head and neck. Though, its driver’s and passenger’s chest protection was rated as weak and adequate respectively. While the small car offered marginal protection for driver’s knees, it was good for the passenger’s knees.
The South Africa-spec model provided adequate protection for driver’s left tibia and passengers’ both tibias. For driver’s right tibia, it was marginal. The bodyshell and footwell area were unable to withstand further loadings and rated unstable. Read – Maruti WagonR, Alto, Celerio Might Be Discontinued
As mentioned above, the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso achieved two stars for child occupant protection. The child seats for the 3 year old and 1.5 year old, which were installed front and rear way facing respectively, offered poor protection to the chest. While the former offered poor protection to the head, the latter provided good protection. The reason behind this poor safety rating was the company’s refusal to recommend child restraint systems (CRS). Since the model sold in South African market is similar to the one retailed in India, the safety rating applies to all its variants sold here.
