A Safety Clash Between Maruti’s Entry-level And Compact Hatchbacks: Which Scores Better?

It’s a surprising turn of events where the Alto K10 has fared better than the 2023 Wagon R in two important crash test departments

Global NCAP recently revealed the scores of four cars crash tested under its #SaferCarsForIndia campaign. The two pairs consisted of one from the VW Group and one from Maruti, namely, the new Alto K10 and Wagon R. While Maruti cars haven’t put up a memorable show at the crash tests in the past, the latest results of the two are a mixed bag of emotions.

Overall Scores

The crash-test scores of the Alto K10 and Wagon R are quite surprising to say the least. While the entry-level hatchback got two stars in adult occupant protection, the Wagon R scored just one. However, when it came to child occupant safety, both the Maruti hatchbacks got zero stars.

Both the hatchbacks come with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, front seatbelt reminder, and rear parking sensors as standard. The Wagon R also gets electronic stability programme (ESP).

Adult Occupant Protection

While the smaller hatchback got over 20 points in adult occupant protection, the Wagon R couldn’t cross the same mark, thus leading to a difference in the ratings.

Frontal Impact- While the Alto K10 demonstrated “good” protection on the heads and necks of the driver and co-driver, protection offered to the driver’s head was “adequate” and “good” for that of the co-passenger in the Wagon R. In the case of the latter, protection to the adult occupants’ necks was deemed “good.”

The Alto K10 showed “marginal” protection to the chests of both the adult occupants. In the Wagon R’s case, the protection offered to the driver’s chest was termed to be “weak” and “adequate” for the passenger’s chest.

Side Impact- The entry-level Maruti hatchback provided “good” protection to the driver's head and pelvis in the side impact test. While the protection for the chest was rated “weak," that for the abdomen was “adequate.” In the case of the Wagon R, protection to the head, abdomen and pelvis was cited as “good” while chest protection was deemed “marginal.”

Due to the lack of curtain and side airbags in both the Alto K10 and Wagon R, the side pole impact test was not conducted. As far as the Wagon R’s ESC test is concerned, we believe it was conducted before the carmaker offered electronic stability program (ESP).

Also Read: From Zero to Six: How Airbags Became A Must-Have Feature In Indian Cars

Child Occupant Protection

The Alto K10 and Wagon R bagged 3.52 and 3.40 out of 49 points respectively in child occupant protection. This led to both the hatchbacks scoring zero stars in child occupant safety.

The child seat in both the Maruti cars for the three-year-old dummy was installed facing forward but it was unable to prevent excessive forward movement during the impact, exposing the head to high risk of injuries. On the other hand, the child seat for the 18-month-old dummy was installed facing rearward in both the hatchbacks. In the Alto K10, it showed “good” protection for the head and “weak” protection for the chest while in the Wagon R it suggested high risk for the head and “weak” protection to the chest.

Bodyshell Integrity

The most significant aspect of the GNCAP crash test is the integrity of the bodyshell itself. While the bodyshell integrity of the Alto K10 was rated “stable” and capable of withstanding further loadings, that of the Wagon R was deemed “unstable.”

Concluding Statement

It is commendable to see that the new Alto K10’s bodyshell integrity has been termed “stable” and capable of withstanding further loadings (sadly, the same can’t be said for the Wagon R). That said, neither the entry-level hatchback nor the Wagon R impressed with their overall performance in the crash tests due to poor ratings in both adult and child occupant protection.

Maruti does have scope for improvement as it can work on bettering the footwell area and overall bodyshell integrity of the two as well as providing more safety features (hopefully as standard) on both.

Read More on : Maruti Alto K10 on road price