[ron178]

Originally Posted by VPJ74

The usual suspects are the Swift/i10/i20/Baleno. However, these cars have appalling safety ratings.

The GNCAP is a consumer test, every new car now passes minimum crash test legislation so you shouldn't have to 'worry' but if you are looking for top-class safety then it is definitely one of the factors you should consider.

The GNCAP's test simulates a 55km/h-to-55km/h offset car-to-car crash. That is still an urban speed so please do not use 'city' or 'highway' as a criterion. Also while it helps with life-threatening head and chest injuries, at a point it starts focussing too much on noncritical leg injuries and at that point there are bigger fish to fry like missing side airbags and crash prevention technologies, even in five star cars. But concerningly the Swift, i20 and i10 all presented a considerable risk of serious chest injury.

More importantly I hope you are using the appropriate child seat for the school runs. There is no way to safely transport a child in a car without the correct child restraint system and that is a much more serious problem than a low rating. For Group 0+ and I children you could also look at the GNCAP's child occupant protection ratings (you can see which child seats were used for the test on the GNCAP website). The Punch comes out tops in this area.

It's also important to remember that OEMs (and even media) often overemphasise the effectiveness of safety tech and ratings to make them easier to sell, the ugly truth is if you're buying on a budget you're still making major compromises, even in four or five star cars like the Altroz and Jazz there is no side head protection and little in the way of crash prevention technologies (Swift, i20 and Baleno have optional ESC).

[ajayc123]

The premium that I would pay for a safer car would be probably be 10-20% over an equivalent car with lower safety, and that would buy me peace of mind for a decade. When I look at the extra spend vs the total cost of ownership (insurance, fuel, service, accessories etc) during the lifetime of the car the % would go down even further. Why increase risk to your life and well being for saving a small amount.

[VPJ74]

Originally Posted by ron178

The GNCAP is a consumer test, every new car now passes minimum crash test legislation so you shouldn't have to 'worry' but if you are looking for top-class safety then it is definitely one of the factors you should consider.

Thank you for your insight. I sincerely hope that legislation would drive timely safety in India but my experience on the ground suggests otherwise.

More importantly I hope you are using the appropriate child seat for the school runs. There is no way to safely transport a child in a car without the correct child restraint system and that is a much more serious problem than a low rating.

Absolutely. The safest car tech is useless if one ignores to use them correctly. We have a 5 year old and always use a child car seat. I am still amazed at how many parents continue to avoid child-seats, seat kids on front or worse let them stand on the sun-roof.


What I find puzzling is that the 5 seat-belt Baleno has a NCAP 2 STAR while the 2 seat-belt Punch has 5 STARS. It means that car safety is much more than just offering seat belts.

[ron178]

Originally Posted by VPJ74

What I find puzzling is that the 5 seat-belt Baleno has a NCAP 2 STAR while the 2 seat-belt Punch has 5 STARS.

To the best of my knowledge the new Baleno also has a lapbelt for the rear centre seat and not a three-point inertial belt. I think only the one exported to Latin America gets three-point belts. Also the GNCAP have limited funds and haven't tested the new Baleno yet. Do not make assumptions until results are published, however note that from July the GNCAP changes their assessment protocols completely so you will not be able to compare new results with old ones.

The GNCAP does award one point (out of 49) in child occupant protection for having regulation-compliant three-point seatbelts in all forward-facing seating positions. But it is only part of the scoring and not explicitly required for any star rating. The Tata Punch could still score four stars for child protection because it had good warnings/markings and maximum points for dynamics of both children. Under the updated protocols cars with a lapbelt in any position will not be able to score any points in the vehicle-based part of the assessment for child protection.

[AYP]

I had come across this thread right when it was published but refrained from voting because I was in 2 minds. Now, I do have clarity regarding my choice. I would like to make 2 points-

Point 1-

I don't go for a car for safety alone. Safety, is one of the many factors I consider while going for a car. Performance and handling are the 2 most important factors for me at a personal level. For a beater, reliability shall take the precedence. So if the choice is between let's say, the Altroz 1.2 NA and the Baleno 1.2 NA, the Baleno it is going to be for me.

Point 2-

Just because I am looking for a beater car doesn't mean that I am not gonna take into account safety. The Jazz which was sold until recently was 4 star GNCAP rated(interpolating from the 4th gen City results) and would be a nice balance between the Altroz and the Baleno. Japanese reliability along with decent safety.


So, to sum it up, I am open to any car, safe or unsafe but I won't necessarily compromise on the safety front just because it is supposed to be a beater car. IMO, saying that I will buy a non safe car because it is a beater car is akin to the thought process that some people have according to which safety doesn't matter since they drive only in the city, which is flawed.

Voted no.

[shankar.balan]

I have voted Yes. I have a 2014 Soft Top Gypsy King which I use as my so-called ‘Beater’.

It is running as good as new having done only 22000 odd kms from the day it came out of the factory.

I service it religiously every year and change all the oils etc. I constantly check and update its Pollution PUCC certificate.

I take it to lots of places. I use it inside the city whenever I feel like and I take it outside the city too whenever I feel like.

Yes I agree it has NO safety rating and hence is considered totally ‘unsafe’ by modern standards.
It has only has self-retracting inertia-reel seat-belts in it and has no ABS and no Airbags and other electronic ‘safety’ aids.

But when driven sensibly and responsibly and skilfullt, it is a perfectly useable, functional and indeed, highly enjoyable vehicle.

So in my book, ‘Safety’ starts with ‘Me’ and I follow the common sense approach.