[Tushar]

Euro NCAP, in a release dated 24th June, gave the 2015 Hyundai i20 a 4-star crash test rating, with the 5th star being missed out on, due to the lack of an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system. Additionally, in the side impact barrier test and the side pole test, the rear edge of the curtain airbag was trapped by part of the interior trim, so it did not fully deploy as required.

It is important to note that the car tested is not the same model that is sold in India. The India spec Elite i20, only gets dual front airbags. The i20 test model was a left hand drive, 1.2L petrol that weighed 1,100 kgs, which is around 80 kgs heavier than the petrol i20 sold in India. Apart from dual front airbags, the test vehicle came with side head airbags, side chest airbags and side pelvis airbags. Under the circumstances, it is safe to say that the India spec Elite i20 will score lower than 4 stars.

The previous generation i20 which was sold in India, came equipped with up to 6 airbags and scored 5 stars on the Euro NCAP crash tests.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBUPwFdKOQ0

[ameaa]

Originally Posted by Tushar

It is important to note that the car tested is not the same model that is sold in India. The India spec Elite i20, only gets dual front airbags. The i20 test model was a left hand drive, 1.2L petrol that weighed 1,100 kgs, which is around 80 kgs heavier than the petrol i20 sold in India. Apart from dual front airbags, the test vehicle came with side head airbags, side chest airbags and side pelvis airbags. Under the circumstances, it is safe to say that the India spec Elite i20 will score lower than 4 stars

Nice info. Thanks for sharing. Like other manufacturers hyundai too is giving less importance for crash safety in India. 80 kg less tells it all. Hope hyundai doesn't play the same game for creta.

[dark.knight]

It must also be noted that in Europe, its allowed for any manufacturer to add a drivers weight (fixed at 75 kg) as part of the kerb weight of the car. The reason this is even encouraged by the respective authorities is because a driver is an essential part of the car.. for the car to move a driver must be present inside, front of the steering wheel & hence along with full fuel weight & standard consumables the weight of the driver is also included as weight-in-motion. The calculation is left as per European manufacturer & the final weight is usually explained in the manuals.

Another interesting variable to be noted here is fuel weight, one litre of petrol weighs approximately 730 grams, whereas diesel weighs about 830 grams per litre. When converting the weight difference to an average tank of 45-50 litres the difference will be substantial. Thus it can be concluded that laboratory weight or unladen weight i.e without fuel, consumables or human weight would be the most accurate. However in real word to test gravitational impact and lugging capacity of engine as also safety measures, the kerb weight including driver would be most practical. As per what I see there is a weight range of 1040kg (for low-spec i20 coupe) upto 1160 kgs for top-end 4 door, which includes the weight of that panoramic sunroof, motors for sun roof, higher capacity battery & additional electronic equipment like 4 airbag actuators, ESC etc. May seem like small changes but combined they might add up to a lot.

Until we can confirm what constitutes kerb-weight according to Hyundai Europe we cannot be sure what constitutes the weight difference ranging from 10 kgs to 130kgs compared to the Indian model. While I think the body-shell of the Indian spec version is more than adequate or likely on par with the European version, there is no excuse for not providing the 6 airbags, TPMS, ESC, lane-departure warning, hill-start assist etc in the Indian version which would've made it the safest car within the 20L bracket with the current competition. ENCAP too focusses more on electronic safety overrides when it comes to final star certification. The above crash shows the i20 body to be on par with the best in safety.

[nukeblitz]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

It must also be noted that in Europe, its allowed for any manufacturer to add a drivers weight (fixed at 75 kg) as part of the kerb weight of the car. The reason this is even encouraged by the respective authorities is because a driver is an essential part of the car.. for the car to move a driver must be present inside, front of the steering wheel & hence along with full fuel weight & standard consumables the weight of the driver is also included as weight-in-motion. The calculation is left as per European manufacturer & the final weight is usually explained in the manuals.

Another interesting variable to be noted here is fuel weight, one litre of petrol weighs approximately 730 grams, whereas diesel weighs about 830 grams per litre. When converting the weight difference to an average tank of 45-50 litres the difference will be substantial. Thus it can be concluded that laboratory weight or unladen weight i.e without fuel, consumables or human weight would be the most accurate. However in real word to test gravitational impact and lugging capacity of engine as also safety measures, the kerb weight including driver would be most practical. As per what I see there is a weight range of 1040kg (for low-spec i20 coupe) upto 1160 kgs for top-end 4 door, which includes the weight of that panoramic sunroof, motors for sun roof, higher capacity battery & additional electronic equipment like 4 airbag actuators, ESC etc. May seem like small changes but combined they might add up to a lot.

Until we can confirm what constitutes kerb-weight according to Hyundai Europe we cannot be sure what constitutes the weight difference ranging from 10 kgs to 130kgs compared to the Indian model. While I think the body-shell of the Indian spec version is more than adequate or likely on par with the European version, there is no excuse for not providing the 6 airbags, TPMS, ESC, lane-departure warning, hill-start assist etc in the Indian version which would've made it the safest car in the 20L bracket with the current competition. ENCAP too focusses more on electronic safety overrides when it comes to final star certification. The above crash shows the i20 body to be on par with the best in safety.

I would not assume the body shell of the one sold in India would be the same as the one in Europe.

Take, for example, the Suzuki Swift ZXi, which has two airbags and is the top trim available in India. The exact same right hand drive model made in India was imported and tested by Latin NCAP (as it's exported there) and scored three stars - reason being that the body shell was unstable and was damaged in the 40% overlap frontal crash test. Same Suzuki swift in Europe? 5 stars. Weight difference? Approximately 100kg. I even remember that there was a post somewhere on the forum comparing the fronts of both cars with the bumpers removed and the Indian one had weaker strengthening underneath, although those image alone couldn't convey every single difference.

Seriously, I was considering switching to the Polo (which was rated 4 stars with Airbags) when I found out that bit of information at the last minute, but I ended up with the Swift ZXi anyway. Fortunately I'd already ruled out the Datsun/Renault/Nissan Micratas I'm looking forward to the Indian New Vehicle assessment program, and hoping the tests aren't watered down and are directly comparable to the tests elsewhere. It would make that information easier to find and compare.

Now, the previous gen i20 was exported to Europe too, and perhaps I would have some confidence that that one would perform the same as the one in India, as they're, at least, made in the same factory. But the new one? Sold only in India and that, combined with the little info we have and the absolute lack of any safety regulation makes me suspicious. I do hope I'm wrong though - someone in my family has an Asta CRDi and it sucks more to not know at all...

[IshaanIan]

I would not read too much into the fact that this car scored 4 stars compared to the previous generation's 5. That does not mean it is less safe because the standards for testing get stricter as the years pass. That said, it is sad to see no improvement.

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Until we can confirm what constitutes kerb-weight according to Hyundai Europe we cannot be sure what constitutes the weight difference ranging from 10 kgs to 130kgs compared to the Indian model. While I think the body-shell of the Indian spec version is more than adequate or likely on par with the European version, there is no excuse for not providing the 6 airbags, TPMS, ESC, lane-departure warning, hill-start assist etc in the Indian version which would've made it the safest car within the 20L bracket with the current competition. ENCAP too focusses more on electronic safety overrides when it comes to final star certification. The above crash shows the i20 body to be on par with the best in safety.

Must say, that is a scarily optimistic stance you are taking.

I doubt I would rate it the safest car to be in under 20lakhs solely on whether they provide more airbags. I'd much rather be sitting in a D1 segment car like maybe the Fluence in case of an imminent collision. Over and above safety equipment, I would rather choose to applaud manufacturers that make structurally sound cars. That would be key to being an inherently safer car.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Must say, that is a scarily optimistic stance you are taking.

With good reason. I never said anything related to structural integrity at all, also by saying that you "applaud manufacturers that make structurally sound cars" you indirectly mean that Hyundai do not make structurally sound cars which is far from fact. Its common opinion these days of Americans & Europeans alike that Hyundai build quality is leagues above Nissan, Toyota, Suzuki or Honda. There is a good reason for this, because all the structural engineers and designers are Germans. Hyundai have their own steel plant & now have started using 51% AHSS or advanced high strength steel also known as ultra high strength steel for their body frame, as also 16 gauge sheet metal for places like doors, along with cross-welded impact beams. The Hyundai i30, Elantra & Sonata all undergo this manufacturing process in Europe.

While I agree that this manufacturing process isn't followed in India yet, I would still put the current i20 on par with the Polo or any other super-hatch. I felt that features like TPMS (which would detect tyre air-loss in advance), lane departure warning, stability control etc would definitely add to its safety as far as preventing an incident goes. While the i20 structurally would naturally be far lighter & smaller compared to a D segment sedan, each would have their own pros & cons. The sedan would have much more weight & during times of impact that weight would translate to slightly higher impact pressure. This is not to say one is safer than the other but both can hold their own in different circumstances with the D segmenter being safer in higher velocity incidents and/or during times involving an incident with a heavier vehicle. In that case the BMW 5 Series will be even more safer so safety doesn't have an absolute. Smaller vehicles like a Fiesta or i30 can be equally protective in most circumstances.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

With good reason. I never said anything related to structural integrity at all, also by saying that you "applaud manufacturers that make structurally sound cars" you indirectly mean that Hyundai do not make structurally sound cars which is far from fact. Its common opinion these days of Americans & Europeans alike that Hyundai build quality is leagues above Nissan, Toyota, Suzuki or Honda. There is a good reason for this, because all the structural engineers and designers are Germans. Hyundai have their own steel plant & now have started using 51% AHSS or advanced high strength steel also known as ultra high strength steel for their body frame, as also 16 gauge sheet metal for places like doors, along with cross-welded impact beams. The Hyundai i30, Elantra & Sonata all undergo this manufacturing process in Europe.

Firstly, that was never what I meant however, let's play along.
Here I will list the test scores from the IIHS (american Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) for each Hyundai right from the C2 segment to the D2 segment against its one of its competitors from a brand which you say offers less superior buil quality. These are results for each car in their famously demanding small frontal overlap test, widely accepted as the most difficult crash safety test in the automotive sector. All values taken from their website.

C2 SEGMENT:

Hyundai Verna: lower interior intrusion of 28 cms, upper interior intrusion of 19-22cms, unique to the Hyundai, steering column pushed 9cms test score: Poor

Ford Fiesta: lower interior intrusion 15-19cms, upper interior intrusion 18cms test score: Marginal

SX4 being an old car, has not undergone the small frontal overlap crash test. Interestingly however, the 2005 engineered car, along with the Fiesta score "Good" in side impact crashes while the Verna only makes do with "Acceptable"

D1 SEGMENT:

Hyundai Elantra: Structure and safety cage rated "Marginal" with upper interior intrusion measuring 22cms, lower interior intrusion measuring 15-18cms and once again unique to the Hyundai, steering column being pushed back 11cms into the driver.

Honda Civic: Structure and safety cage rated "Good" upper interior intrusion of 7cms and lower interior intrusion of 15cms

D2 SEGMENT:

Hyundai Sonata: Structure and safety cage rated " marginal" with lower interior intrusion as much as 24cms, upper interior intrusion of 15-18 cms and brake pedal being pushed 28cms into the driver

Suzuki Kizashi: Engineered way back in 2009 structure and safety cage rated "good" with maximum lower interior intrusion measuring in at 15cms and maximum upper interior intrusion of 6cms

Originally Posted by dark.knight

While the i20 structurally would naturally be far lighter & smaller compared to a D segment sedan, each would have their own pros & cons. The sedan would have much more weight & during times of impact that weight would translate to slightly higher impact pressure. This is not to say one is safer than the other but both can hold their own in different circumstances with the D segmenter being safer in higher velocity incidents and/or during times involving an incident with a heavier vehicle. In that case the BMW 5 Series will be even more safer so safety doesn't have an absolute. Smaller vehicles like a Fiesta or i30 can be equally protective in most circumstances.

Obviously there is no end to the game however I chose the Fluence as an example since you obnoxiously went so far as to state that the i20 would be the safest car this side of 20lakhs

Look at the end of the day, even I am willing to concede that on the surface of things, Hyundais have good build, quality feel and class topping features however, please don't get too carried away when the cold hard facts are staring you right in the face. Also, while yes I have heard non-prejudiced American and European Journalists praise Hyundais quality, I never heard them say it was better than all those brands you stated. Better than a few maybe on par with the rest is what I would say. You seem to be deliberately oblivious to many truths about the brand and have a blindly positive outlook making your posts reek of that of a Fanboy according to me and thus I shall rest my case here and would not like to take this argument any further with you

[volkman10]

Hyundai i20 falls short in latest ANCAP safety results,for i20 variants which were released in New Zealand from December 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Su4...ature=youtu.be