Saar: The compact MPV received zero and two stars for adult and child occupant safety respectively.

Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) started its #SaferCarsForIndia campaign in the year 2014. Since then, it has tested over 25 car variants which are made and sold in India. At the inaugural Global NCAP World Congress held in New Delhi last week, crash-test results for the Renault Lodgy were revealed. The compact MPV received zero and two stars for adult and child occupant safety respectively.

It was the standard variant of the Renault Lodgy that was put through the crash-testing regime. The variant had almost no safety gizmos to protect the passengers. The vehicle had no airbags, no ABS, no pretensioners in seatbelts and no ISOFIX anchorages for child booster seats. As per Global NCAP’s standard procedure, the compact MPV was crash-tested at 64kmph. Here’s the video:

The driver’s neck and head received poor protection as the absence of airbags almost guaranteed their impact with the steering wheel. However, the front passenger’s head and neck received good protection. The chest protection for the driver and the front passenger were offered weak and marginal protection respectively. The protection offered to the knees of the driver and the front passenger was marginal. Global NCAP reported that they could impact with dangerous structures behind the dashboard by the Tranfascia tube. Renault Lodgy’s bodyshell was rated as unstable.

For checking the safety of differently aged children, Global NCAP uses two dummies – one of a three-year-old and the other of an 18-month-old. With no ISOFIX anchorages for the booster seats, both dummies were seated forward facing with only the seatbelts fastened. The elder dummy’s head was offered poor protection while the chest received limited protection. For the 18-month-old dummy, Child Restraint System (CRS) was installed with the dummy facing rearward. The set offered good protection to the head and chest of the younger dummy. Global NCAP also reported that the recommended CRSs did not show incompatibility.

It seems that the variant that was put through the crash test is not on sale in India anymore. As per the Lodgy’s latest brochure, ABS, EBD and brake assist have now been made standard across all the variants. Expect Renault India to send Global NCAP the upgraded variant of the Lodgy to get a better overall safety score. It isn’t something new for the carmaker as, under the same campaign, it has received four different crash test reports for the Kwid and two for the Duster.