Today, I will be discussing the topic – Maruti Baleno safety rating to analyse what we can expect from the Bharat NCAP test. Baleno is the most successful premium hatchback in the country. It directly rivals the Hyundai i20 and Tata Altroz in our market. Previously, even the VW Polo was a worthy competitor. But it is now discontinued. In any case, the Baleno has emerged as the game changer ever since its arrival in 2015. It has been at the top of the sales charts in this category since its inception. Today, the largest carmaker in the country sells more units per month than the i20 and Altroz combined. That should give you an idea of the dominance displayed by the Baleno. For now, let us take a look at the details of this post.
New Maruti Baleno Safety Rating
Note that the Maruti Baleno has never been tested by the Global NCAP. However, back in 2021, the Latin NCAP put the premium hatchback through a crash test. Unfortunately, the Baleno was able to score a disappointing 0 star. That model had 2 airbags as standard. Also, other standard safety amenities included Seat Belt Pretensioner, Seat Belt Load Limiter for the driver and passenger. Moreover, it had the ISOFIX child seat anchorages. The Seat Belt Reminder was standard for the driver. Still, the overall performance was abysmal.
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Adult Occupant Protection (AOP)
In the AOP category, the hatchback secured 20% points leading to a 0-star safety rating. There were three tests performed on the Baleno – Frontal Offset Deformable Barrier Test, Whiplash Rear Impact Test and Side Movable Deformable Barrier Test. It scored 12 points out of 16, 0 points out of 3 and 0 points out of 8 in these tests, respectively. In the Frontal Impact test, the protection offered to the driver and passenger head and neck was good while the chest for both of them showed marginal protection. Similarly, the knees of the driver and passenger displayed marginal protection. Driver’s tibias showed adequate protection, and passenger’s tibias showed good protection.
The bodyshell was rated as stable and capable of withstanding further loadings. In the Side Impact test, the head and pelvis protection was good, the abdomen protection was adequate while the chest protection was poor. The Side Pole Impact test was not performed. Whiplash shows poor performance. All these contributed to a 0-star rating.
Child Occupant Protection (COP)
In the COP section, the made-in-India Maruti Baleno secured just 8.36 points which translates to a mere 17%. The Dynamic Score was 0, the CRS Installed Score was 4.36 and the Vehicle Assessment Score was 4. There were Cibex Sirona S i-Size Child Restraint Systems for 18-month-old and 3-year-old children. Both of these are rearward-facing. These were installed using ISOFIX anchorages and support leg and were capable of preventing excessive forward movement of the head for the 3-yo. The frontal and side impact protection was good. As the manufacturer declined to recommend CRSs for the test the dynamic score was 0.
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New Maruti Baleno Pedestrian Safety and Safety Assist Systems
The Maruti Baleno did not meet the regulation UN127 for pedestrian protection. In this category, the vehicle scored 17.51 / 24 points for head impact, 3.23 / 6 points for Upper Leg Impact (Pelvis) and 6 / 6 points for Lower Leg Impact (Leg). These tests were conducted at 20 km/h to over 40 km/h. The car showed a majority of areas with good to marginal protection levels. For the Safety Assist Systems section, the vehicle passed the ADAS Moose Test and Moose Test: Consumer Testing without any failures. However, the vehicle didn’t offer ESC as standard.
Safety Features
While this was the case in 2021 at the Latin NCAP, I am more interested in knowing how things look for the Bharat NCAP test going forward. At present, the Maruti Baleno is being offered with tons of new-age safety features. In fact, the vehicle, in the top variants, is around 55 kg heavier. Maruti knows that safety is becoming a priority for a whole bunch of car buyers nowadays. Hence, it meets all the crash test norms in its current avatar. Furthermore, it now uses a greater percentage of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel in the construction. Therefore, one can expect a much better safety rating this time around. The top highlights in terms of the safety equipment include:
- 6 Airbags
- Electronic Stability Program
- Larger Front Disc Brakes
- ABS with EBD and Brake Assist
- ISOFIX Child Seat Mounts
- Speed and Seatbelt Warnings
- 360-Degree Camera
- Head-up Display
- 3-Point Seatbelts for All Passengers
- Hill Hold Assist
- High-Speed Alert System
Our View
Now, I don’t need to tell you how popular and successful Maruti Baleno is. It has been the highest-selling premium hatchback in India by a mile for years. People love it for its looks, features, performance, mileage, etc. In the current iteration, I feel Maruti has done a decent job of making this car more solid than before. It is a matter of time before we get to know how well it translates to Bharat NCAP safety ratings. Nevertheless, the signs certainly look positive.
FAQs
What is the Global NCAP safety rating of New Maruti Baleno?
Maruti Baleno has not been crash-tested by the Global NCAP. However, it scored 0 stars at the Latin NCAP test.
What are the top safety features of New Maruti Baleno?
The top safety features include 6 airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, ESP, Hill Hold Assist, 360-degree Camera, Head-up Display and more.
Will Maruti Baleno undergo Bharat NCAP crash test?
Yes, Maruti Baleno will be a part of the Bharat NCAP crash test.
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