MG Hector is yet to be tested by NCAP while the Kia Seltos bagged a mediocre 3-star rating in the NCAP Safer Cars for India campaign
Thanks to the web helping consumers make an informed decision, safety has suddenly become one of the most top more priorities of many car buyers. Mostly, Indian car buyers judge a car’s safety by its NCAP rating. It is because of these scores that many car models, especially from Tata Motors, have shot to fame due to their full 5-star NCAP scores. That said, the Harrier is yet to be tested by the Global safety testing body. In fact, in this price segment, it’s only the Kia Seltos that has been rated by NCAP. Interestingly, the India-spec Seltos has bagged a rather mediocre 3-star adult safety score instead of the 5-star rating that the Australia-spec model offered. Meanwhile, it has come to light that even the MG Hector will be tested and rated by NCAP in near future.
Also read: Kia Seltos vs Skoda Kushaq – Specs, Features, Safety Comparison!
In a response to a Tweet, MG customer support has said that the NCAP ratings for the Hector will be revealed pretty soon, thereby indicating that the crash test has already been conducted on this SUV. What’s not known yet is if this crash test has been performed by NCAP under its Safer Cars for India campaign or by some other agency. While it’s a bit early to speculate, many MG Hector fans and owners are confident of a high score in the crash tests. It must be noted here that the MG ZS already boasts a 5-star safety rating in ASEAN NCAP tests. It is the same model that will be launched here under the Aster nameplate.
As mentioned, in this price segment, it’s only the Kia Seltos that has been to GNCAP’s test bed. As the Australia-spec Kia Seltos had received a full 5-star score, it was expected that the Indian model would be able to bag at least a 4-star rating in adult protection. Unfortunately, however, it could manage only a 3-star score. It must be noted here that underpinning the Seltos abroad is the SP2 platform while the Indian model is based on the SP2i architecture. The latter is an Indian-Used version developed to keep production costs in check but it looks like the cost-cutting has compromised the safety levels. The Hyundai Creta, which shares its platform with the Kia Seltos, is yet to be tested by NCAP.
Also read: Kia Seltos has a tough time beating Maruti Vitara Brezza in Tug of War!
The MG Hector is currently on sale in a price range of Rs 13.17 lakh to Rs 18.85 lakh (ex-showroom). The Hyundai Creta, Tata Harrier and Kia Seltos-rival is available with a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with an optional automatic Transmisison and micro-hybrid powertrain for added fuel efficiency. There’s also a 2.0-litre Diesel engine that comes mated to a manual transmission.
Also read: Production-Spec VW Taigun Spotted Testing – Creta, Seltos Rival To Launch Soon!
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