Maruti's so-called mini-SUV, the S-Presso has been recently crash-tested by the Global NCAP under its ‘Safer Cars For India’ program, and unfortunately, it has received a 0-star safety rating for adult passengers. However, for child occupant protection, it got 2 stars.
It is important to note that Global NCAP tested the base trim of the S-Presso at 64kmph speed, which only comes with a driver-side airbag whereas it's top-spec VXi+ trim offers dual airbags.
According to the crash test report, the S-Presso’s structure and footwell area were rated as unstable, and the organization has suggested improvements in it. Its poor rating is essentially due to inadequate protection of the front passenger dummy's neck. The chest protection rating was also very low for both driver & front passenger. However, the driver’s neck showed adequate assurance. On the other hand, the driver’s knees conferred marginal protection as they could strike with delicate structures behind the dashboard supported by the Tranfascia tube.
As the S-Presso doesn't offer 3 point seat belts in all seating positions and ISOFIX child seat rear anchorages, hence its rear seat child occupant safety summarised as poor for both test dummies i.e. 3-year-old (on Front-facing CRS) and 18 months old (on rear-facing CRS).
As far as the scores are concerned, the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso scored 13.84 out of a total score of 49.00 for child occupants protection, whereas for adult safety, it has scored 0 out of 17.
About Maruti Suzuki S-Presso
The Maruti S-Presso is based on Suzuki’s latest ‘Heartect’ platform, which also underpins various other Maruti Suzuki models like WagonR, Baleno, Swift, etc. This lightweight architecture claims to provide good structural rigidity. It is available in three variants: Std, L, and V. It is powered by a BS6 1.0-litre petrol engine (68PS/90Nm), which can be had with either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 5-speed AMT.
The S-Presso is quite popular due to its SUVish characteristics and features loaded cabin offers almost everything that a buyer excepts from a car of this segment including a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital instrument cluster, powerful AC, front power windows, and keyless entry. On the safety front, it offers a driver-side airbag, rear parking sensors, ABS with EBD, speed alert, and front seatbelt reminder as standard across all variants. While its top variant also gets a front passenger airbag and front seatbelt pretensioners. These features are available as an option on the others.
