Made-In-India Maruti Baleno Gets Zero Stars In Latin NCAP Crash Test

Despite being equipped with dual front airbags, the hatchback fared poorly and how!

• The Baleno scored 20 percent for adult occupant protection and 17 percent for child protection. 

• It got 64 percent rating for pedestrian protection and a poor seven percent for safety assist features. 

• The footwell area and body shell were rated stable. 

• The poor rating was due to inadequate side impact protection, lack of standard side airbags for head protection, and poor whiplash protection. 

• The hatchback features dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors with a camera, and automatic headlamps. 

In a huge disappointment for Maruti Suzuki, the made-in-India Baleno has received a zero-star rating in the Latin NCAP crash test. This sure is a double whammy as the Swift had also scored zilch in the same test a few months ago. 

The crash-tested model featured dual front airbags as standard. Despite that, it could only score a meagre 20 percent for adult occupant protection, 17 percent for child protection, 64 percent for pedestrian safety, and just a seven percent for safety assist features. 

Overall, the zero-star rating is attributed to the Baleno’s poor side impact protection, a lack of standard side head protection airbags and standard ESC (electronic stability control), and no Child Restraint Systems (CRS).

Based on the frontal impact, the Baleno showed ‘good’ protection for the driver and passenger head, ‘adequate’ for the front passengers’ chest area, and ‘marginal’ for the knee area. However, the footwell area and body shell were rated stable. 

As for the side impact, the head and pelvis protection was ‘good’, abdomen protection was ‘adequate’, but chest protection was ‘poor’. Even whiplash protection was ‘poor’, and all these translated into the beggarly rating it got.

The Maruti Baleno’ safety features include dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, ISOFIX seat anchorage, rear parking sensors, rear parking camera, and automatic headlamps. 

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The hatchback is powered by an 83PS/89PS (mild-hybrid) 1.2-litre petrol engine, paired with 5-speed manual and CVT transmissions. The Baleno is priced from Rs 5.99 lakh to Rs 9.45 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), and it rivals the Toyota Glanza, Volkswagen Polo, Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20, Tata Altroz. 

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