Hyundai Tucson gets better Latin NCAP safety rating
The new improved Tucson 6 airbag variant has got better rating in the recently conducted Latin NCAP test.
The Hyundai Tucson which was recently launched in India was under the radar because of low safety rating. During the crash test conducted by Euro NCAP back in November 2021, new gen Hyundai Tucson scored a 5-star safety.
However, the base variant with 2 airbags got 0-star safety rating during the recently conducted Latin NCAP crash test. On the other hand, the Tucson 2022 variant with 6 airbags has secured a 3-star safety rating.
In 2021 Latin NCAP tested the previous version of the Tucson with two airbags as standard in the basic version scoring zero stars.
This version of the Tucson was tested in frontal impact and side impact, whiplash and pedestrian protection. The lack of side curtain airbags as standard limited the score and performance in Adult Occupant Protection. The lack of ISOFIX marking and the standard lap belt in the rear centre position as well as the lack of passenger airbag disabling switch explains the low score for Child Occupant Protection.
As a result of the zero stars, Hyundai decided to improve the basic equipment of the model adding standard side airbags, side curtain airbags, three-point belts in all positions, i-size marking, seatbelt reminder for the front passenger position, ESC and speed limitation system.
In the updated model, the adult safety points scored were at 32.64 or 81.61% of the total available points. For child safety, it scored 34.07 points or 69.53% of the total available points.
The car was also tested in side pole impact, ESC, Moose Test and speed assist. These safety features showed satisfactory performance. Latin NCAP also tested optional equipment like Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Support Systems and Road Edge Detection, which all showed good performance.
Both the Secretary General of Latin NCAP, Alejandro Furas and the Chairman Stephan Brodziak welcomed Hyundai’s quick reaction to improve the safety standards of Tucson in order to meet the Latin NCAP criteria.
