[ad_1]
Government regulations have gradually made even small economy cars relatively safe, but some brands (and some markets) still lag behind in the safety department. In November 2020, Global NCAP crash tested a lot of cars sold new to the Indian market and gave the Maruti-Suzuki S-Presso a zero star rating.
NCAP thrust the S-Presso into a deformable barrier displaced at approximately 40 mph, and its observations are damning. “Its structure was rated as unstable and should be improved. Its footwell area was also rated as unstable,” the organization wrote on its website. He explained that high readings on the passenger’s neck caused the hatchback to fail this reasonably basic test, though he speculated that a more thorough examination of the results would show damage to the driver’s chest as well. If you’re wondering, the S-Presso comes standard with a single airbag.
It’s not all terrible: The NCAP gave the S-Presso a two-star rating for child occupant protection, which is low but better than none. However, he cautioned that poor performance of restraint systems puts rear occupants at risk, adding that the S-Presso is not equipped with an ISOFIX system used to install a child seat.
Maruti-Suzuki can’t even argue that the S-Presso is an older design that wasn’t developed with modern crash tests in mind. Marketed as an SUV, and aimed primarily at younger buyers, this pint-sized hatchback was launched to the Indian market in late 2019. It is built in India, but is also sold in a handful of emerging markets, including South Africa, Egypt and Sri Lanka. Pricing starts at about $ 5,000 in the local market, a figure that gives buyers a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine with 67 horsepower and a five-speed manual transmission.
Although new cars are becoming safer, starless models are still more common than they should be, especially in India and several African countries. NCAP delivered this terrible result to the 2018 Renault Lodgy, 2017 Chevrolet Enjoy and 2016 Tata Zest; none of these cars were equipped with airbags. Latin America is also home to a surprising number of starless cars, including the 2019 Chery Tiggo and the 2018 Hyundai Accent.
