[HMV]

Brilliant! While I know this result isn’t going to affect Korean twins’ sales (they’d have already been affected when they were crash tested), it sure inspires confidence in vw’s 2.0 cars. This score even after being first and only cars tested under new GNCAP protocols only reaffirms the group’s interest in safety. I’d any day be willing to get 5-star rated car with a stable body-shell over gadgets-on-wheels because I very much prefer to deal with a “poor-quality” headliner than risking loved ones’ safety in a poorly rated car equipped with umpteen number of gadgetry. Kudos to VAG group!

Ps: Request to mods—this result should be mentioned in the pros section of both Taigun and Kushaq reviews.

[Karthik Chandra]

This is fantastic from VW/Skoda. Both Kushaq and Tiagun were built (compared to other cars in portfolio) to cost but its heartening to know that they haven't compromised on safety. Kushaq and Taigun are the first cars to get 5 star for both adult and child protection

Taigun and Kushaq now claim the title as the safest cars in India

I see that this test in under revised protocols though not sure what all have changed. From the fact sheet it is evident that there are changes to adult protection score. Earlier it used to be out of 17 but now its out of 34 so lot more parameters have been added. It will be interesting to know how the current 5 star rated cars perform under revised protocol.

Earlier colour code for stars used to be blue for adult and green for child now its yellow for both

[Maky]

Originally Posted by karan561

Early Skoda Kushaq Automatics like my car (Style Variant) did not have 6 airbags so not sure if this rating is applicable for those cars too.

I do not think it's possible to score 5 stars unless it comes with atleast 6 airbags, among of course the other variables.
Initially I was wondering why they waited so long to get their cars tested as 5 stars is such a good marketing point, as used to great extent by Tata and Mahindra. As GNCAP tests using base variant, I guess we now know why.

[fiat_tarun]

Great job by VW/Skoda and this is what we expected from them. Good to see the MQB-A0 IN platform hasn't been compromised in the wrong areas.

The new protocol puts the India tests more on par with the rest of the world now with frontal, side, pole and ESP playing a role in the scoring.

Originally Posted by Karthik Chandra

...

I see that this test in under revised protocols though not sure what all have changed. From the fact sheet it is evident that there are changes to adult protection score. Earlier it used to be out of 17 but now its out of 34 so lot more parameters have been added....

Go through this thread which details the new protocol in great detail.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...ia-2022-a.html (Understanding Global NCAP's new crash tests for India in 2022)

[volkman10]

A proud moment for the Skoda Auto Volkswagen Auto India Group:

[rajshenoy]

Great to see auto makers focus more on better safety ratings. I hope the indian consumers also pay some attention to safety over gadgets.

Hope the Koreans take this seriously and focus on improving their safety aspects than loading more unwanted features.

[The Rationalist]

Wow! Congratulations to VAG for having the safest cars in their segment. Hats off to VAG for the commitment shown to us Indians. Respect where it is due. Hope this results in improved sales of the twins. Virtus & Slavia twins securing similar results would be icing on cake. Hope we get cars with 5* star rating from other manufacturers under the new protocol too.

[smilingakash]

This is great news for VW group. Kushaq and Taigun will definitely see improved numbers.

Even, I am getting tempted to re-consider Monte Carlo (1.5) again. Despite, its interior tackiness, it has the necessary bells and whistles, exterior looks commanding and now the safety is just cherry on top!!

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by smilingakash

Even, I am getting tempted to re-consider Monte Carlo (1.5) again. Despite, its interior tackiness, it has the necessary bells and whistles, exterior looks commanding and now the safety is just cherry on top!!

Solid structural integrity is not only important for the safety, but it also makes sure that the car will not fall apart in decades despite you throw it in all kind of abusive road conditions.

Get hold of any 10 years old Polo, you will find consistent shut lines and panel gaps all around despite it being in poorest of visible condition. But most other cars with weaker build quality start loosing the consistency in panel gaps within months.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

But most other cars with weaker build quality start loosing the consistency in panel gaps withing months.

I wouldnt agree with that. My Celerio has pathetic quality of sheet metal and rigidity. But nothing has become inconsistent, nor has any part lost its integrity.

[Bhodrolok]

And this and the driving dynamics is why some of us continue to support VW despite the hassles around service centers.

[BanerjeePupul]

Wow.. just wow …2 more cars for Indians to buy from which are 5* safety rated. I am glad that VW and Skoda kept the trust we had in then for good build quality. AC and interior quality IMHM is a very small trade off for this safety. It's time for them to capitalise on this success like TATA. Tata literally came alive just by safety. I am sure being built on same platform Virtus/Slavia would be no less than 5*.

[Ptr11s]

Really glad to see that the first cars tested in the new protocol have scored 5 stars.

Originally Posted by GTO

How much more would you pay for a 4-star GNCAP car (my source is reasonably reliable, not 100% though) over a 2 - 3 star competitor?

I was under the impression that the VW-Skoda twins could not achieve 5 stars. As, we have seen from the past, the Carens was expected to score 4 stars as per insiders but achieved only 3 stars. So, at end of the day we can't guess the safety rating unless and until the car is crash tested.

Unfortunately, the coverage of front side airbag does not extend to the a-pillar. This is similar to the Carens as shown above.

[Flying Shadow]

Now in the hindsight when we think about it, VW have been planning for this all along.
They had built the car conforming to the newer regulations and I guess they
wanted to test it under the new protocols only, which is why they waited this long.

Most of the safer current cars (in the price bracket at least) on sale won't get a top rating unless
they have the minimum 30% sales volume of 6 airbag version and the rear SBR, even if they are safe otherwise.
So many cars and its variants will have to be updated if they wish to test and score good under new protocol,
even though it is not a necessity for them, as we can guess already.

I can't remember any other car meeting the newer criteria as of now, to get another 5star rating right away.
Or may be I missed some models.

So, till then The VW twins get the "safest car" tag for marketing, and they are already on it.

[rkv_2401]

Originally Posted by Karthik Chandra

This is fantastic from VW/Skoda. Both Kushaq and Tiagun were built (compared to other cars in portfolio) to cost but its heartening to know that they haven't compromised on safety. Kushaq and Taigun are the first cars to get 5 star for both adult and child protection
Taigun and Kushaq now claim the title as the safest cars in India

This isn't spoken about enough. Every thread it was brought up, you'd see people dismissing it saying "well, they haven't gotten GNCAP tested, you don't know if it would get 4-stars or 1-star" - that's where brand reputation comes in. VAG has a lot of problems, but one thing they've never compromised on is their long-time reputation for making safe cars. Whether it's the (impressive for it's time) 4-star Polo, the Rapid and Vento twins built on the same platform anecdotally protecting people in life-threatening situations, I trust VAG to build a safe car more than I trust Kia/Hyundai to not water down safety standards for India-specific products. And now, they've shown why they deserve that trust. This is the first car to get 5 star for both adult and child protection, under the much more stringent new global NCAP tests (that would, if tested currently, result in the Altroz losing it's 5 star rating because of it's lack of ESC!).

This is, likely, the lowest-priced car in India that would get a 5-star adult rating when tested in the new GNCAP protocols. And this is the only car (so far) tested to have 5-star child protection. This is a great achievement and should be applauded, regardless of how good or bad their headliner or AC performance is. Those are valid criticisms, but there's no shortage of other threads outlining that in much greater detail.