DELHI - The Hyundai Grand i10 and Suzuki S-Presso are two of the latest Indian-sourced budget hatchbacks to have been launched in South Africa this year, but unfortunately they have both performed poorly in the latest round of Global NCAP crash tests.
The Hyundai Grand i10 was awarded just two stars for adult occupant protection, while the Suzuki S-Presso scored zero stars.
However it’s important to note that the versions of these models sold in South Africa have more safety equipment, which would likely have led to higher ratings.
Global NCAP Secretary General Alejandro Furas was scathing in his criticism of the zero-star result.
“It is very disappointing that Maruti Suzuki, the manufacturer with the largest share of the Indian market, offers such low safety performance for Indian consumers.
“Domestic manufacturers like Mahindra and Tata have demonstrated high levels of safety and protection for their customers, both achieving five star performance. Surely it’s time for Maruti Suzuki to demonstrate this commitment to safety for its customers?”
Suzuki S-Presso: 0 stars
It is worth keeping in mind that the Indian-spec S-Presso that underwent testing is only fitted with a driver’s side airbag, while South African models have dual front airbags as standard. The SA-bound S-Presso models also have seatbelt pre-tensioners, which you won’t find in the Indian-market cars.
Global NCAP explains that the lack of a passenger bag is partially responsible for the zero star result, meaning that a version with two airbags could have performed better, and we assume that the SA model’s seat belt pretensioners would also up the ante slightly.
But does that mean the SA-spec cars are safe?
While our S-Presso would likely have received a better safety rating, its unlikely that it would have received a very good rating. This is because Global NCAP found the S-Presso’s structure and footwell area to be unstable, and the chest loadings were deemed too high in both the driver and front passenger crash test dummies.
Head protection was rated as good, however.
The S-Presso scored two points for child occupant protection, and Global NCAP expressed concern that the car does not offer three point belts in all positions as standard and offers no ISOFIX anchorages.
The Suzuki S-Presso is South Africa’s cheapest car at present, with prices ranging from R145 900 to R173 900.
Hyundai Grand i10: 2 Stars
While the little Hyundai performed better than the Suzuki, its two star result is nothing to be proud of.
As with the S-Presso, the Grand i10’s structure and footwell area were rated as unstable.
However, head and neck protection for adult occupants was deemed good. Chest protection was weak for the driver and adequate for the passenger.
Like the Suzuki, the Grand i10 was awarded two stars for child protection, but it’s likely that an SA-spec model would have received a better result given that ISOFIX anchorages are fitted to our models, but not to the Indian-spec i10 that was crash tested.
The Hyundai Grand i10 was launched in South Africa last month, and is priced from R191 900 to R256 900.
Kia Seltos: 3 Stars
Global NCAP also tested the Kia Seltos compact SUV, and its structure was rated as “borderline unstable”, with the footwell area being deemed unstable.
However the Kia SUV still managed a respectable rating of three stars for Adult Occupant protection, with head protection deemed adequate and neck protection good, however, chest protection for the driver was rated as marginal and leg protection poor.
It’s worth noting however that while the Indian-market Seltos that was crash tested had just two airbags, South African models come with six as standard.