Mahindra’s latest offering – the XUV700 – paid a visit to the testing chambers of Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Program). And we all know what that means! The SUV was crash-tested following the same procedure as all other cars under the #SaferCarsForIndia campaign. That study includes a frontal crash at 64kmph. Result? Global NCAP awarded the car in question five and four stars for adult and child safety. In other words, it is one of the safest made-in- and made-for-India cars. Here, check out the crash test video:

Let’s get some more numbers into the equation. The Mahindra XUV700 scored 16.03 points out of a possible 17 for adult occupant safety. For children, the SUV bagged a score of 41.66 out of 49. And here’s the main highlight – the XUV700 managed to score that well even though it was in its most basic specification. The list of safety features included dual airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, seatbelt reminder system, ISOFIX anchorages and a 4-channel ABS.

The snapshot above shows how well the car performed. Barring a couple of areas of the driver and the front passenger, it provided ‘Good’ protection. In addition, global NCAP rated the bodyshell and footwell area of the car as stable and could withstand further loadings. For child occupants, which comprises dummies of an 18-month-old and a 3-year-old, the booster seats were in a rearward-facing position with ISOFIX and support leg.

Global NCAP mentioned that the car could perform even better if it had more safety equipment as standard. Examples included side and curtain airbags, electronic stability control (ESC) and three-point seat belts for all seating places. That said, the judges were impressed with the introduction of automatic emergency braking on the Mahindra XUV700. Sadly, that feature, like the others mentioned above, isn’t part of the standard kit.

So, there you have it — another five-star safety car from Mahindra. The question is – how high do you keep passenger safety in your list of requirements when zeroing down on a new car?