The Jimny, which had hoped might make it to India, was one of the internet’s favourite vehicles. Its throwback to the Gypsy matched with its rugged design and styling was the lure. However, after safety tests were run on the car by the Euro NCAP, the Jimny has started looking a lot less impressive. The compact 4×4 scored a meagre 3-Star rating in the latest test and is being called disappointing by the safety benchmarking firm. The Jimny which lost points for adult occupant protection and safety assist systems is said to have betrayed it rugged looks in its test results.
Officials at the NCAP and their partners have said that the Jimny, being an all-new vehicle should offer far more protection to drivers in case of a collision, stating that the safety technology available with this vehicle did not perform optimally either. Included in the report, the ENCAP mentioned that the vehicle mediocre Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) system reflected weak performance in tests of its pedestrian avoidance in daylight and does not operate at all in low light.
The NCAP said that young demographic that the Suzuki Jimny is targeted at deserve, and need, better protection in terms of passive and active safety. While the test results are disappointing, they are so by European standards. Several Indian cars that have taken the test have managed dismal scores with no counter efforts made to improve them. The Renault Kwid famously scored zero stars in the ASEAN NCAP and yet received no additional safety features even with the recent update.
Now, the big question is, despite all of this would we still want to see the Jimny in India. The answer to that will probably still be a resounding yes, considering the stringency of the EuroNCAP. To put that in perspective the Duster also scored three stars in its NCAP tests but is perhaps one of the better selling Renault cars in India.
