Ford India has launched an advertisement that claims that the EcoSport compact SUV offers safety that is “way above 5-stars”. The advertisement also shows a video clip of a truck crashing into the EcoSport and the driver walking out of the car unhurt. While it may be true that the Ford EcoSport offers a plethora of active and passive safety features, in reality, the Ford EcoSport was last tested by the Euro NCAP in 2013 which scored 4-stars for safety.
But in the Indian market, the only compact SUVs to have garnered the full 5-star ratings by the Global NCAP is the Tata Nexon and the Mahindra XUV300. The Tata Nexon set the benchmark in 2018 by receiving 16.06 points out of 17 points for adult safety and 25 points out of 49 points for child safety. In 2020, the Mahindra XUV300 16.42 points out of 17 points for adult safety and 37.44 points out of 49 points for child safety receiving the Global NCAP’s ‘Safer Choice’ award.
While the Ford EcoSport features 6 airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) to balance the brake force between the front and rear wheels, Electric Stability Control, Hill Launch Assist (Hill Hold), Rear-View Camera, speed warnings, seat belt reminder, speed limiter and audio volume limiter at the Euro NCAP the left-hand driver version of the EcoSport scored 93% for safety for adult occupants, 78% for child occupants, 58% for pedestrians and 55% for the safety technologies that are offered.
Its competition, the Tata Nexon is equipped with driver and co-driver airbags as standard, ABS+EBD as standard, height-adjustable seatbelts with Pre-tensioner, Load-limiter & Crash-locking tongue, Electronic Stability Program and Electronic Traction Control, Hill Hold Control, Rollover Mitigation, Electronic Brake Pre-fill, Emergency Brake Assist, Brake Disc Wiping etc.
The Mahindra XUV300 offer safety features such as dual front airbags as standard with the option of 7 Airbags including front, side, curtain, and driver knee airbag as an option, ABS & EBD as provided as standard, all four disc brakes, collapsible steering and side intrusion beam, Corner Braking Control, front seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters, Electronic Stability Program with Dynamic Steering Torque, Hydraulic Brake Assist, Roll-over Mitigation, Traction Control, Hill Start Assist, speed-sensing door lock, impact sensing door unlock, panic braking signal etc.