Maruti Suzuki Fronx Crash Tested By Australasian NCAP; Result Is Unexpected

The made-in-India Maruti Suzuki Fronx has recently been crash tested by the Australasian NCAP (ANCAP), and it scored a disappointing 1-star safety rating. Interestingly, the urban crossover received a 4-star safety rating in Japan NCAP earlier this year. For those unaware, the ANCAP has protocols very similar to the Euro NCAP with extensive testing of crash protection, ADAS and pedestrian safety.

Maruti Fronx ANCAP Crash Test Results

Adult Occupant Protection (AOP)

• The passenger compartment of the Fronx remained stable in the frontal offset (MPDB) test.
• Protection of the driver’s chest was WEAK, and the lower legs were ADEQUATE.
• Rearward displacement of the pedals was excessive, and protection of the driver’s feet was MARGINAL.
• Dummy readings indicated ADEQUATE protection of the chest and lower legs of the front passenger.
• Structures in the instrument panel and dashboard were a potential source of injury to occupants, and protection of both the driver’s and passenger’s upper legs was MARGINAL.
• Protection was GOOD for the remaining critical body regions for both the driver and front passenger.
• The front structure of the Suzuki Fronx presented a moderate risk to occupants of an oncoming vehicle in the MPDB test (which evaluates vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility), and a 2.69 point penalty (out of 8.00 points) was applied.
• In the full-width frontal test, chest protection of the driver was WEAK and GOOD for all other critical body regions.
• Protection of the rear passenger chest was POOR, with high chest deflection and high seatbelt load.
• This POOR result for the rear passenger causes the score for the full-width test to be capped at zero points. In addition, the seat belt retractor for the rear passenger failed and allowed excessive forward movement of the rear dummy, with head protection assessed as POOR.
• In the side impact test, protection was ADEQUATE for the chest of the driver and GOOD for all other critical body regions.
• In the more severe oblique pole test, protection for the head, abdomen and pelvis was GOOD, and chest protection was MARGINAL.
• A centre airbag or other countermeasure to prevent contact between the heads of front seat occupants in side impacts is not available on the Suzuki Fronx.
• Since Fronx misses out on the centre airbag, therefore, the tests to measure potential injury from occupant-to-occupant contact in far side impacts were not conducted.
• A Rescue Sheet, providing information for first responders in the event of a crash, is available. A multi-collision braking system is not fitted. It was demonstrated that, if the car entered water, the doors of the Suzuki Fronx would remain functional for the minimum required time period, though window opening functionality was not demonstrated.

Also Read: Maruti e Vitara Achieves 5-Star Bharat NCAP Safety Rating

Child Occupant Protection (COP)

• In COP crash tests, the protection for the head and neck of both child dummies was poor, while chest protection ranged from poor to marginal.
• In the side impact test, the 6-year-old child dummy’s head protection was marginal, while the 10-year-old dummy showed poor protection due to contact with the adjacent seat.
• Fronx doesn’t have a child presence detection (CPD) system.

Vulnerable Road User Protection

• The Fronx offered in Australia and New Zealand comes with ADAS features, and the autonomous emergency braking system was capable of detecting and reacting to vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. However, the AEB doesn’t react to vulnerable road users in reverse.
• For pedestrians, the bonnet and windscreen offered good to adequate head protection across most areas, save for the windscreen pillars, which showed weak results.
• The testing agency stated that the protection for legs was generally good, while the pelvis protection was poor.

Safety Assist

• The Fronx comes equipped with several ADAS features, including automatic emergency braking, emergency lane keeping, lane keep assist, speed assistant system, driver drowsiness monitor system, dynamic cruise control, and blind-spot monitoring. The AEB system showed GOOD protection in forward during car-to-car tests.

How Australian-spec Fronx different from the Indian Version?

The Indian-spec Fronx comes equipped with safety features like six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, ISOFIX anchors, and rear parking sensors, whereas the Australian-spec Fronx also gets some ADAS features.