One of the most popular and well-known crash-test agencies in the world, Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme), recently gave the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga a 3-star rating, based on its crash tests. They tested the dual-airbag variant of the Ertiga, which was equipped with features such as ABS, SBR (Seat Belt Reminder), driver seatbelt pretensioners, passenger-side airbag and ISOFIX anchorages. The Maruti Ertiga comes under the 5-door, 7-seater MPV segment and it had a total weight of 1,363 kgs (including crash test dummies). The crash tests for the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga were carried out at the average driving speed of 64 kmph.
Also Read: Maruti Suzuki WagonR Gets A 2-Star Rating In The Global NCAP Crash Test
The Ertiga receives 3 stars in terms of safety for an average adult occupant, as the protection offered to the driver and passenger’s head and neck was good enough, however, the driver’s chest showed marginal protection, while the passenger’s chest showed good amount protection. The driver and passenger’s knees showed marginal protection, as they could be hit with dangerous structures from behind the dashboard, which is supported by the tranfascia tube. On the other hand, the bodyshell was rated as unstable, as it was not capable of withstanding any further impact. Also, the footwell area was rated as unstable. Apart from all this, the passenger pretensioner also failed to work properly during the test.
The safety rating for a child occupant in the Ertiga gets 3 stars, as the child seat for the 3-year-old was installed in a front-facing manner using ISOFIX. These anchorages were able to prevent unnecessary forward movement during the impact, which meant the car offered good protection for the head and fair protection to the chest. On the other hand, when the 18-month-old Child Restraint System (CRS) was installed with ISOFIX in a forward-facing manner, it showed poor protection for the head and chest. This means the recommended CRSs did not show incompatibility. Apart from the standard ISOFIX and top tether anchorages, the car does not offer 3 point seatbelts in all seating positions.
David Ward, CEO and President of Global NCAP said, “The latest results in our #SaferCarsforIndia crash tests show a mixed safety performance, and disappointingly, there are no five-star performers. The Suzuki Maruti Ertiga achieves a creditable three stars for both adult and child occupant protection, but it’s obvious to us that more can and should be done to improve overall protection levels for cars sold in the market. The Indian government’s crash test standards are clearly helping to eliminate any new zero star cars from the market, and we will continue to work with them to ensure the push of regulatory requirements is complemented by the pull of consumer awareness, encouraging the demand for ever-higher levels of safety.”