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The made in India Volkswagen Vento was crash tested by the ASEAN NCAP recently and managed to score an impressive 4 out of 5 stars safety rating. The New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) is an automotive safety rating program that evaluates a car’s safety by performing crash tests in a controlled environment. The model on test was the 1.6-litre petrol unit paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission.
The Vento however was sourced from Volkswagen Malaysia, which receives the CKD kits of the sedan shipped from India. Sold as the Polo sedan in the country, the Malaysian spec Vento sports front side airbags in addition to dual front airbags, otherwise the Malaysian spec model is identical to the one sold in our country. The sedan received 4/5 stars for adult occupant safety scoring a total of 14.51/16 points. The car provided adequate protection to the driver and passenger’s head and chest. In terms of child occupant safety too, the Vento scored 4/5 stars scoring 41.41/49 points.
The safety features on the Malaysian spec Volkswagen Vento include four airbags, 3-point seat-belts, driver-side seatbelt reminder and ABS. The lack of Electronic Stability Control (ESC) was a major reason for the car to not receive complete 5 stars in the crash test. The India spec Vento though gets ABS and ESC as standard on the 1.2-litre TSI version along with front driver and passenger airbags and other basic safety equipment.
The recent crash tests opened the room to introspect our safety concerns. With price wars being given utmost priority in our market, safety equipment has taken a backstage. But we do expect to see that change soon. View the complete crash test report below.
