Crash Tested: New Suzuki Swift

The 2017 Swift with six airbags has passed the Euro NCAP crash test with a 3-star safety rating 

Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) is an organisation that has been in existence for over 20 years and has mastered the art of quantifying the crash test results for us to make a smarter choice. In its latest set of reports, two variants of the new Suzuki Swift were tested for safety. One was with only the standard safety kit and scored three stars, and the other with the optional safety pack installed, which scored four. 

For the record, the new Nissan Micra was also put through the same set of crash tests. It scored four stars with the standard kit and five stars with the optional safety pack. Suzuki Swift's sibling, the Ignis, was tested by Euro NCAP in December 2016 and back then it received three stars with the standard kit and a perfect five with the optional safety pack. Another direct competitor is the Ford Ka+ (Ford Figo in India), and that scored three stars as well.

Back to the new Swift. Just to clarify, the variants of the Swift tested were European-spec and hence included some safety features which, in all probability, won’t be coming to the Indian-spec car. But these crash test results do give us a fair idea on how one of the most eagerly awaited cars in India performed in different but predefined crashing scenarios. Let’s see what all scenarios is a car tested against.

1. Offset-Deformable Barrier: The car is driven into a deformable barrier with a 40 per cent overlap at 64kmph.
2. Full Width Rigid Barrier: The test vehicle is driven into a flat rigid barrier with a complete overlap at 50kmph.
3. Side Mobile Barrier: A deformable barrier mounted on a trolley is driven at 50kmph into a stationary car at right angles.
4. Side Pole: The test vehicle is propelled sideways at 32kmph against a rigid, narrow pole.

In these tests, different protection parameters are evaluated for adult occupants, child occupants and pedestrians. Apart from the structure of the car, safety gadgets like airbags, ABS, ESP (electronic stability programme) and AEB (automatic emergency braking) make a lot of difference. Here’s how the new Swift performed.

With Standard Safety Kit

In in European spec, Suzuki offers a host of safety features as part of the standard kit. The list includes six airbags, pretensioner with load limiter in seat belts (front and rear), ISOFIX anchorages, airbag cut-off switch for front passenger and seat belt reminder for front and rear occupants. With these safety gizmos, the new Swift managed to get three stars as an overall rating, which is kind of surprising.

Observations:

For adult occupants, the hatchback scored 83 per cent. Euro NCAP says the new Swift performed well in three out of the four tests. The only worry was during the full-width rigid barrier test wherein the protection of the chest was marginal, both for the driver and passenger. The company also ran a geometric assessment of the rear seats and it indicated poor whiplash protection.

The car scored 75 per cent for child occupant safety. Euro NCAP revealed that all the tech which is designed for child safety could be properly installed and accommodated in the car. However, there were some noticeable performance issues. The dummy designed as a 6-year old child received poor chest protection and weak neck protection in the frontal offset test. The 10-year old dummy got poor chest protection in the side barrier test.

For pedestrian safety, the new Swift scored 69 per cent. The car lost marks for poor results recorded due to the stiff windscreen pillars, which can lead to severe body injuries for the outsider. The bumper scored maximum points as it offered good pedestrian protection.

The only feature that falls under the safety assist category is the seat belt reminder. Since it is present for both the front and rear occupants, the new Swift managed a mere 25 per cent as an overall category score.

With Optional Safety Pack

As part of the safety pack, Suzuki installs radar brake support to the standard Swift. This equips the car with automatic emergency braking (AEB) with different behavioural modes - City and Inter-Urban. With this safety gadget, the new-gen Swift managed to received four stars as its overall safety rating.

Observations:

Thanks to the AEB technology, which is operational between speeds ranging between 5-210kmph, the overall safety score for adult occupants increased to 88 per cent. Euro NCAP says the radar brake support works at low city-driving speeds, and in the tests the system performed adequately. 

Unfortunately, the AEB did not have an impact on the overall score for child and pedestrian safety. Hence observations for the Swift with the optional safety pack performed exactly the same as the standard car.

Under safety assist category, AEB’s functionality at highway speeds showed good performance. Hence the overall score for this category increased from 25 per cent to 44 per cent. Suzuki also offers a driver-set speed limiter as an option but it wasn’t fitted to the test vehicle. Chances are that the car will score better with that included.

Test results like these can have a major impact on your choice of car. For India, we will have to wait for Global NCAP, which runs tests specifically under the #SaferCarsForIndia campaign, to take the Indian-spec Swift for a similar journey. Do you keep safety above everything else when buying a car?

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