Mumbai - In the last year we’ve seen a flurry of new compact SUV entrants hailing from India, and providing South Africans with an affordable way to get into a brand new SUV.
But how safe are these new entrants? Thanks to the crash testing organisation Global NCAP we now have a better idea of how the Renault Nissan Alliance contenders perform in a crash.
In the most recent Global NCAP tests, the Indian-built Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger both achieved four-star occupant ratings, matching the Suzuki Vitara Brezza and, by association, the Toyota Urban Cruiser too.
In terms of the crash test performance, Global NCAP says the Magnite showed to have a stable structure, with good head protection for the front occupants, although protection for the driver’s chest and knees was deemed marginal. Read the full report here.
Although the Renault Kiger shares a platform with the Magnite, Global NCAP rated its structure as unstable, with protection for the driver’s chest also deemed marginal, but overall the vehicle was still good enough for a four-star rating. As with the Magnite, head and neck protection was good. Read the full report here.
It’s worth noting however that the Magnite and Kiger both lack side and curtain airbags, which could limit the protection offered in a side-impact crash. At this stage Global NCAP does not perform side impact tests.
Both models received two stars for child protection, but were criticised for only offering a lap belt for rear central passengers. Outer ISOFIX anchorages are fitted to the two vehicles, but in the Kiger’s case they are not visible to the consumer, being covered by the seat fabric.
“There has been significant progress on vehicle safety design since we began our tests in 2014 but, as we see from our latest results, there is still more to be done to achieve the high safety standards that consumers in India rightly demand,” said Global NCAP Secretary General Alejandro Furas.
“It has been encouraging to see some leading Indian manufacturers respond so well to the #SaferCarsforIndia challenge, but also rather disappointing that major global brands fall short on safety in India whilst comfortably exceeding these requirements in other global markets.”
The Indian-built, previous-generation Honda Jazz and City (AKA Ballade) were also tested during the latest crash test round, and both achieved four star ratings.