The fourth-generation Suzuki Swift has been through Euro NCAP’s latest crash tests and scored a mediocre 3-star rating. While the car performed well in protecting vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists, there are concerns about adult and child occupant safety.
Key Findings of the Euro NCAP Crash Test:
- Adult Occupant Protection (AOP): 67% (weak chest protection for driver and passenger)
- Child Occupant Protection (COP): 65% (weak protection for children’s neck and chest)
- Safety Assist Systems: 62% (poor response to head-on collision in AEB)
- Vulnerable Road Users (VRU): 76% (good protection for pedestrians and cyclists)
Important Note:
The Euro-spec Swift tested is different from the Indian-made Maruti Suzuki Swift. The European model is built in Japan and comes equipped with more safety features like six airbags, lane departure warning, and autonomous emergency braking (AEB). These features are not currently available in the Indian variant.
Breakdown of the Results:
- Adult occupants experienced weak chest protection in the frontal impact test.
- Child occupants also showed weaknesses in neck and chest protection during frontal and side-impact tests.
- The AEB system performed poorly when encountering a head-on collision with another car.
- The car lacks a rear occupant detection system, which is a requirement for a higher Euro NCAP rating.
Positive Aspects:
- The passenger compartment remained stable during the crash tests.
- The car offers good knee and femur protection for the driver and front passenger.
- The AEB system effectively detects and reacts to pedestrians and cyclists.
Overall, the Euro NCAP results highlight the need for improved safety features, particularly for adult and child occupants, in the Suzuki Swift. While the European model offers more advanced safety tech, Indian consumers will need to wait and see if these features make it into the Maruti Suzuki Swift in the future.