The Maruti Suzuki Baleno has scored a 4-star safety rating in a recent crash test conducted by India’s New Car Assessment Programme - Bharat NCAP. In the Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) test, the Baleno equipped with six airbags scored 26.52 out of 32, thus receiving a 4-star rating. However, the Child Occupant Protection (COP) test score stood at 34.81 out of 49, which only amounts to an acceptable 3-star rating. The dual airbag variant matched the score for child occupant protection, though the Adult occupant protection score was lower with 24.04 points.
Now, this is certainly a big deal for Maruti Suzuki India which has previously received zero-star ratings both from the Global NCAP as well as the Latin NCAP for India-made Baleno.
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As for the safety features on offer, the cars tested by Bharat NCAP came with seatbelt pretensioners with load limiters, ISOFIX child seat mounts, electronic stability control (ESC) and seatbelt reminders for all 5 occupants. Additionally, one variant came fitted with dual front airbags, while the other featured dual side and curtain airbags taking the total number of airbags to six.
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Adult occupant protection for Baleno with six airbags.
The tests conducted by Bharat NCAP include the frontal offset deformable barrier test and the side movable deformable barrier test. Starting with the six airbag-equipped model, the protection levels for the driver's and co-driver’s head and neck areas were rated good. While protection for the driver’s chest and thighs was marginal, the same for the legs was adequate. As for the co-driver, the remaining body parts received adequate protection. Results from the side impact tests were also positive.
Adult occupant protection - Baleno with dual airbags
The two airbag-equipped hatchbacks offered similar levels of occupant protection in the frontal offset impact testing. It, however, dropped points in side barrier impact testing, offering lower levels of protection to the occupant's head, chest and abdomen.
The Maruti Suzuki Baleno is offered in four variants – Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha. The car is powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine, and while the base trim only gets a manual gearbox, the other three come with the option of both manual and AMT units. Prices start from Rs. 6.70 lakh, going up to Rs. 9.92 lakh (ex-showroom). The Delta and Zeta trims also get the option for a factory-fitted CNG kit.
