New Suzuki Swift Only Has A Three Star Crash Rating, Unless You Option Safety Gear
We’ve gotten to the point now where we just sort of assume a new car will get five stars in an NCAP crash test. Car safety has come a long way in recent years, to the point where a brand new supermini from a major manufacturer clocking only three stars stands out.
Three stars is the thoroughly meh score netted by the new Suzuki Swift in its recent Euro NCAP test. But, there’s a caveat: if you pay for the ‘safety pack’ with its autonomous emergency braking system, you’re looking a four star car.
A welcome improvement, but still down on many of its competitors. The Nissan Micra was also included in Euro NCAP’s latest bout of crash tests, and managed a five star rating. Again though, for the top rating, you need to have ticked the right option boxes to have an autonomous braking system - without it, it’s only a four star car.
What are your thoughts on these systems? Would you pay to option when buying a new car? Let us know in the comments.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Autonomous braking system? No thanks, I’d prefer to fight death like a real man.
Indians unite!!
So… a car gets an extra star if it can brake all by itself without driver permission and still fare just as well (or poor) in a head on collision?
You cannot achieve a 5 star EuroNCAP rating now without a collision prevention system, regardless of how the vehicle’s structure performs during a crash. Collision prevention systems do significantly reduce the probability of low speed crashes and reduce the severity of higher speed crashes. The aim with autonomous vehicles eventually is to eliminate the need for crash protection, which can dramatically reduce weight and so improve efficiency.
A safety pack? What was Suzuki thinking?!
Still better than a Mk2 Golf cries
The thing is that the sensors and hardware for autonomous braking will be in there REGARDLESS whether you tick the option box. What you’re paying for is a single “0” in the config file changed to a “1”. I think that’s pretty ridiculous that they would charge you for safety. In my opinion, you shouldn’t have to pay for safety.
Is that true? I would have assumed that they wouldn’t fit sensors where they aren’t necessary… if you buy a car without reversing sensors it doesn’t have reversing sensors that are just switched off.
Some hardware such as the sensors and actuators for ABS and DSC will be there, but mostly this statement is incorrect.
Still better crash tests results than a Mustang.
Having an “autonomous braking system” is all good and well to turn a 3-star car into a 4-star car, but if I’m pulling out of a junction, and the drunk who jumped the red light t-bones my car at 40mph, an “autonomous braking system”, isn’t going to stop their bonnet badge from being wedged into my skull…
Surely, the star rating should be reserved for the structural safety only, and the add-on/autonomous safety features should be a separate note?
Looks like the car was built in the land of beam.
Shouldn’t come to a Swift stop, then…
Euro NCAP is a joke…you should judge the safety rate by looking at the damage of the car
The Damage to the car is to prevent the damage to you. That is the reason they have all these crumple zones to absorb all the masses of energy that needs to be dissipated before it gets to you.