While Skoda entered the sub-4 metre SUV space with the Kylaq late last year, its German cousin has been skeptical about entering this space which is crowded by heavyweights such as Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Tata Nexon, Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, and Mahindra XUV 3XO to name a few.
However, seeing Kylaq’s success, Volkswagen might be encouraged to take the plunge into the subcompact SUV space. The most prominent candidate is the Tera which Volkswagen introduced in Brazil a few months ago. The subcompact has now added a new feather to its hat. The Tera has been awarded a 5-star safety rating by Latin NCAP.Â
Volkswagen Tera: Latin NCAP crash test details
The Brazil-spec Volkswagen Tera has achieved 89.88% in Adult Occupant Protection (AOP), 87.25% in Child Occupant Protection (COP), 75.77% in Pedestrian Protection and Vulnerable Road Users, and 84.76% in Safety Assist. In the frontal offset deformable barrier test, the driver and passenger received good protection for the head, neck, and knees. The driver’s chest protection was rated marginal, while the passenger’s was rated good.Â
Tibia protection for both occupants was assessed as adequate. In the side pole impact and side deformable barrier tests, chest protection was rated adequate and marginal, respectively, while protection for the head, abdomen, and pelvis was rated good. The bodyshell was deemed stable and capable of withstanding additional forces.
In terms of child protection, the reports indicated that the Tera delivered average to good performance in the dynamic tests. The vehicle scored 21.75 out of 24 for the dynamic assessment, 12 out of 12 for installation, and 9 out of 13 for the vehicle assessment. The child dummy, secured in a rearward-facing position using ISOFIX anchorages and a support leg, was fully protected from head exposure, though chest protection was limited.
The prototype tested was fitted with six airbags, electronic stability control (ESC) as standard and ADAS technologies. Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), a mandatory feature for scoring 5-stars in Latin NCAP, is standard fitted in all versions of Tera except for the one sold in Argentina where the technology is offered only in the top version and as optional in the other versions.
Underpinned by the familiar MQB A0 platform, the Tera is manufactured at Volkswagen’s Taubaté plant in Brazil. Volkswagen hasn’t officially confirmed the launch of Tera in India yet. An official word on the same can be expected in the next few months.
