India-made Suzuki Ignis scores 3 starts at Global NCAP crash test

The India-made Suzuki Ignis, which is exported to African car markets, has scored a three-star rating in the Global NCAP crash test. The Suzuki Ignis was one of the three cars which were put to test by Global NCAP as a part of its "Safer Cars for Africa" campaign.

It may be noted that the Suzuki Ignis is a step lower in safety compared to the Vitara Brezza, which scored four stars in last year's Global NCAP crash test. The Ignis comes packed with dual front airbags, ABS, and ISOFIX anchorages as standard safety features. The hatchback has managed to fetch just three stars for adult occupant protection by scoring 9.99 points out of 17. The car stumbled in terms of child safety score, with a mere single star by scoring 8 points out of 49.

The hatchback was subjected to a crash at 64 kmph into a deformable barrier with a 40 percent offset. The car offered 'weak' protection for driver's chest, while other body portions like legs, foot and head were slightly better protected. Global NCAP also noted that driver's knees protection was rated ‘marginal’ as they could suffer injuries in case of a crash by what is described as “dangerous area behind the fascia supported by the transfascia tube”. On the other hand, front passenger was decently secured with better all-round protection than to the driver.

Throwing light on poor child occupant safety rating of just a single star, Global NCAP revealed that since Suzuki doesn't recommend a specific Child Restraint System (CRS), it was for Global NCAP to decide which CRS was to be used. The unit then used in the test wasn't enough to provide sufficient safety around the chest area of the three-year-old child dummy. Also it was brought to notice, that Suzuki doesn't allow any provision to deactivate co-driver’s airbag while using a rear-facing child seat on the co-driver’s seat.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Ignis touches 1 lakh sales milestone

The car runs on the K12M 1.2-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol powerhouse which pushes out 61 kW (82.94 PS) of maximum power at 6,000 rpm and 113 Nm of peak torque at 4,200 rpm. This petrol-sipping motor is avaliable with two transmission options - a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed automated manual transmission. It is claimed to deliver a fuel economy rating of 20.89 km/l.