[srini1785]

I am all for safety but frankly how can you put a 5 star structural integrity frame with packed features for just 9,89L (Seltos)?. I don't remember anyone complaining when they revealed the pricing and features. In fact , Kia received an overwhelming positive response in terms of features, ergonomics and yeah price. Now when brake fails , NCAP ratings are dismal why are folks complaining?. Caveat Emptor.

You can either be happy or married.

[TheHelix0202]

At the risk of going I ask this: what about the MG Hector? I feel like people should start questioning it too, lest it slip under the radar. Let's hope GNCAP tests the one sold in India, releases an outcome and gives us a chance to evaluate it into our next purchase list. Also, with Diwali right around the corner, I wish more of our countrymen wake up and see just what these 3 cars mentioned here in this thread are offering in terms of safety.

EDIT - The poster above me, unless he's sarcastic, has apparently no clue about cars like the Nexon existing in the market. Also, those are straw man arguments. Please try harder next time.

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by sou_3749

A lot of bashing is happening towards Seltos and honestly that car is not that bad from safely point of view. Atleast I haven't come across a single real life instance which raised suspicion towards safety worthiness. Right now all the owners and future ones feel like they made a wrong decision because of just one test done in controlled circumstances. Chill guys, the car as as safe as the driver.

Now all of the sudden comparisons have been drawn with Tata, Mahindra with respect to build quality, honesty etc. While I agree that these cars have been built good, it's not the only criteria to define the fate of a car. In terms of quality, drive train, finesse and above all engineering they are nowhere near Hyundai/Kia, Suzuki/Maruti, Toyota, VW etc.

Seems like you have some specials metrics to determine the safety of cars. Please enlighten laymen like us, what sort of test do you conduct before certifying safety of cars. Is it by touching with hands or by using sledge hammers or you randomly crash into vehicles? And you haven’t come across any real life situation yet, I haven’t seen anyone dying due to road traffic accidents, only in news papers. So according to you unless you witness something with your own eyes, its not true. You can believe any nonsense or stupidity, please don’t lecture people, it’s about life of innocent customers. If you don’t value your life, that’s none of my business, but don’t try to mislead people. Now I know why Maruti, Hyundai and Kia sells in numbers

[Nalin1]

Originally Posted by sou_3749

A lot of bashing is happening towards Seltos and honestly that car is not that bad from safely point of view. Atleast I haven't come across a single real life instance which raised suspicion towards safety worthiness. Right now all the owners and future ones feel like they made a wrong decision because of just one test done in controlled circumstances. Chill guys, the car as as safe as the driver.

Completely agree with you . Especially with this part-

Chill guys, the car as as safe as the driver.

But also keep in mind, these are global standards which need to be given due respect. Just cannot brush them away.

I think structural build is compromised to extract every kilometer out of every drop of fuel. Fuel economy/kitna deti hai is our national obsession. Second on the list is sunroof followed by a touchscreen .

[Abhi5868]

And finally the Koreans have been officially proven to be unsafe (atleast one of their flagship products is). Like many other BHPians have already commented, this is high time we start mentioning the crash test results of tested cars in the top 3 Pros/Cons.

Also I see one or two members bringing in aspects such as quality, refinement, drivetrain etc to defend Seltos. Please note-No amount of refinement, quality and features can justify the lack of safety.

The statement that a car is as good as it's driver is a thing of past. We need safer cars and the last thing we should do is to defend a hypocrite manufacturer whose product was borderline better than others retailing at half the price.

[jailbird_fynix]

Just putting this here -

[vinodvayyat]

Originally Posted by sou_3749

A lot of bashing is happening towards Seltos and honestly that car is not that bad from safely point of view... Chill guys, the car as as safe as the driver.

Sorry buddy, that is not in the right spirit. One of my closest friends passed away in Feb 2020 in one of the worst accidents that caught attention of the entire country (Volvo got hit by a heavily loaded truck coming from the other direction in one of the best roads here in South India - 3-laned NH544 at Avinashi). Even though he wasn't driving and was inside a Volvo bus, such kind of incidents tells us that things can happen that are completely beyond a driver's skill. The driver of the bus was one of the most decorated in Kerala SRTC. You might find solace in one or the other reason to keep you going - but recommending others to chill on such news coming from a reputed global body hurts! With all due respect, I recommend some rethinking here.

And I second the thoughts of many other fellow members here:

• A rating system can be put in place as part of the official reviews on the safety aspects. I understand that the forum members take all sort of voluntary effort to come up with such immaculate reviews of new and old cars. But such a rating system might only add more credibility.
• Alternatively, please highlight in bold the GNCAP Safety ratings if available for the model of the car. If rating isn't available, please comment on safety in general by taking into account of the manufacturer's history of ratings for cars belonging to a segment above or below.

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

I also believe the 4m rule can be partially blamed for these unstable structures in cars! The easiest thing to delete is the crumble zones which can not only reduce costs but also help in 'length' management!

No that's not the case usually. 'Crumple zones' has become kind of cuss word here on Team-BHP, but it's much more than that. We can discuss more on that separately.

Also, crash tests are not compulsory yet and people don't give a damn about safety!

Crash tests are mandatory in India as well, however the key difference in the test speed. Indian regulations mandate test at 56kmph (same as Europe); however, GNCAP is more stringent (better for end customer) at 64kmph. This is where true 'strength' of tin cans comes out.

Originally Posted by DrCar

With Maruti blaming everything possible under the sun for their poor safety results, except for the car itself; we are not far from the days when they blame the structure of the human body itself and conclude that their cars are made to specification for Indian conditions but the Indian body can't withstand a crash

They are already blaming drivers that majority car occupants in India don't wear seat-belts. So, that gives OEMs license to build tin-cans.

Many are of the belief that only Team-bhpians over here are cribbing about this results but rest of the general public aren't aware about it and don't care.

Sadly, that's the fact. We are bunch of auto-enthusiasts and there may be limited number of customers who bother about safety. But of the total sales numbers, this doesn't count for even a fraction.

it is our responsibility to pass on the link of this thread, brake failure threads, skoda horror stories thread, etc. to our friends and extended family before they are plunging for a new car. Just that they aren't as tech savvy enough to check sites like Teambhp.

Fully agreed. That's what I have been doing in past as well.

Hope that Teambhp comes up with a GNCAP star watermarks on each and every images of the car on this forum henceforth similar to teambhp website watermark, so that the person appreciating the beauty of the Koreans or Japanese cars while going through the reviews will not miss to see the star ratings.

Excellent Idea.

Originally Posted by srvm

The Hindu reported the crash test results today. I read it in my hardcopy at home. Here is the link for soft copy.

That's really good of The Hindu, let me search other key newspapers in northern India. However, I am doubtful that vernacular language papers will cover this.

Regarding feeling bad about recommending Seltos/Venue/Sonet to friends & family, don't beat yourself about this. You trusted brands to provide the same safe platforms which they give elsewhere. They broke your trust and deserve the blame, not you. Learn from this, and from now on, consider only GNCAP test results of Cars made for India

Thanks for your kind words.

Originally Posted by warrioraks

Always good to have differing voices and opinions. But I am not able to digest this statement.
If what you said was true, then GNCAP rating would have no meaning at all. What's the point of crash-testing cars when the 'Driver' is all that matters.

+100

[kamilharis]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

What about the MG Hector? I feel like people should start questioning it too.

This is what MG India guarantees you as per their website. MG Hector / Chevrolet Captiva / Baojun 530 - none of them are crash tested anywhere I reckon.

[TorqueIndia]

Holy gosh ! Literally shocked to see this round of results .

* I had a thought that Maruti had made some improvements due to the previous ZERO stars ratings and standard airbags , but was mistaken , they will never learn without a huge fine or market rejection.

*Hyundai is just following Maruti, lost the hopes on them too. Wonder whats the new 100KG lighter i20 is up to.

*KIA-What have you done, guys ? Literally heart broken with your idiotic packaging for India . You guys HYUNDAI-KIA got lots of technologies, Engineering in-house, performed well in overseas crash tests and fooled us. Never expected. Just think about it , if made in India SELTOS had performed the best and bagged the top safety rating ? You guys spoiled your own future and existence . Whats all about this SP2i ?- 'i' for idiots ? Lost my confidence on the Korean duo, CRETA will be no different , they are terrible just like Maruti.

Huge applouse to our home grown humble manufacturers Tata and Mahindra for giving us SAFER cars than international brands with huge R&D.

Special mention deserves for Volkswagen , Skoda, Ford and Toyota (Toyota Originals- not Suzuki made ) -they might not be selling feature loaded or good looking or updated cars but they are proven safe .

[vaish9925]

In a budget hatch,
1. Heated ORVMs - Check
2. Auto-folding ORVMs - Check
3. DRLs - Check
4. Wireless charging - Check
5. Sunroof - A big CHECK

Safety in a 20 lakh car - NAH.

Just BLING a BLING !!

Way to go Hyundai/Kia.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by sou_3749

A lot of bashing is happening towards Seltos and honestly that car is not that bad from safely point of view.

I know multiple members have commented against this, so I'm not repeating the arguments. Just want to highlight one fact.





The only reason why Datsun Redigo is received a single star for 8.36 points and Seltos received 3 stars for 8.03 points is due to the chest area. Rest is same or worse in the Seltos IMHO!

Seltos provided marginal protection for the chest, whereas the Datsun provided poor protection. Head is adequate same as in the Datsun, thighs are marginal as in the Datsun and legs as weak which is much worse than the adequate protection in the Datsun. Like someone mentioned earlier - the thought of unstable leg area is very discomforting as you'd be pressing hard on the brakes in an accident. Datsun Redigo provides better child protection too!

We're comparing a 5.82 (top end) lakhs car v/s 21.5 (top end) lakhs car. Not so bad? I request you to reconsider. Infact, if you really start looking at the charts - you feel Datsun RediGo was 'not so bad' for 1/4th of the price and without passenger airbags.

[blue_pulsar]

Meanwhile, Ford making the most of this news:

https://youtu.be/DvHdX57Qqg8

[sou_3749]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

You can believe any nonsense or stupidity, please don’t lecture people, it’s about life of innocent customers.

Yes Sir, next time I must consult with you before putting my opinion
You read too much between the lines.

Originally Posted by AutoConsultant

With all due respect, this statement does not apply to the Indian driving conditions. People have lost lives by getting crushed under an overloaded truck or by a speeding car falling from a flyover (there was recently such a case involving a VW Polo).

In that sense no two wheelers should be running on the road.

Originally Posted by GipsyDanger

Yes, even a Mercedes S Class cannot withstand a huge crash as a result of reckless driving, and yes, a sedate driver in an Alto is better off on roads, but that ain't the issue here. Prospective buyers are paying top money for what, a false sense of security, a minimum standard of safety that's now available even in a small hatchback now?

I can assure you, that this is not a baseless bashing thread. Kia/Hyundai totally deserves it. Even more for the breaking fiasco. What else can one make of a company that is totally averse to holding recalls for common issues when others do?

As for the current owners, yes, we can't blame them. The results are way too long overdue. There's absolutely no way for any of us to find out about this unethical conduct before.

I absolutely agree here. Even safety comes at a price and sadly in India the rule of the land doesn't treat this as absolute necessity.

Originally Posted by vishy76

I am really sorry but I completely disagree with whatever you have said till now.

I own a 1 star rated Global NCAP car and I know how it feels, only difference being I have paid 5 lakhs, while Seltos owners have paid close to 15.

Well you are entitled to your opinion and I genuinely respect that. On a second note did you sell your 1 star car and got yourself a 5 star car?

I am not trying to make fun of you or anybody else (including me) with a less safe car. The real reason is we Indians are deprived of better packages compared to international offerings by the same manufacturer. This is even true for basic necessities as (water/air/electricity/healthcare). I don't blame koreans for the results, but it's the rules that defines the end product. If we start removing every other car due to crash tests, sadly we won't be left with any good car.

Originally Posted by warrioraks

Always good to have differing voices and opinions. But I am not able to digest this statement.
If what you said was true, then GNCAP rating would have no meaning at all. What's the point of crash-testing cars when the 'Driver' is all that matters.

"Chill guys, the car as as safe as the driver"
I agree this statement was blown out of proportion, but my intention was to tell that it's still got a 3 star rating. With my limited understanding in this matter, it's not worthless.

I am in my true sense not trying to justify the step motherly treatment by Kia and some other brands. This is not a binary situation where every car has to be 5 star rated to be accepted. Can any SME give us some insight into the crash test ratings? Is 3 star so bad?

[AZT]

Thread started on 11th November and we already have 22 pages. Damn! Looks like a lot of people had higher expectations from Kia