[ajayc123]

Originally Posted by Raghu M

I have no clue as to why manufacturers are providing larger screens. Nowadays, I am seeing some cars with screens all through the dashboards length. It's just a fancy feeling. We have a mobile that we already squeeze for everything and nothing. Why such big screens for cars?

To extend the thinking, to me it looks like a major distraction and a safety hazard, more than anything else.

[mkumar79]

Originally Posted by GForceEnjoyer

If Tata and Mahindra can make 5 star rated cars at low prices, then why can't Kia/Hyundai?

Bling with marketing blitz has been the core differentiator for Kia/Hyundai. They can't afford to lose the lead on marketable features, especially when the profit margins are higher per gimmick.

They have concluded that a safer shell would mean overpricing their cars out of the market. Personally I don't think so, but well, they must know better.

A lot of first-time car buyers who didn't find the time to consult their expert friends and family, eventually end up with a Kia/Hyundai. This isn't going to change, be it 3 stars or 2 stars.

[Maverick1977]

The amount of information that I have gathered from this thread over the last 24 hours is staggering to say the least.

However, I haven't been able to make any conclusive decision - If the Carens is NOT a good buy, then what is?

Every car that you will buy will have some drawback because there is nothing called as a perfect car (at least in the 15 -20L segment, with an automatic). Both the XUV700 and Tata Safari have their own set of problems and shortcomings.

Ironically, I discussed this problem with my parent and this is what they also said, there is nothing perfect, so why run after it. I was talking to another BHPian who owned an Octavia before moving to a Seltos if the 3 star rating bothered him. His reply was truly divine "When one's time is up on this earth, even a 10 star car will not save you. Stop thinking about this so much and enjoy what you have in life"

Case closed and so should be this thread. Discussions are not.leading to any concrete outcomes or conclusions and those who want a family car for 7 have no other choice.

Godspeed, BB

[nickelniks]

Originally Posted by Maverick1977

His reply was truly divine "When one's time is up on this earth, even a 10 star car will not save you. Stop thinking about this so much and enjoy what you have in life"

Case closed and so should be this thread. Discussions are not.leading to any concrete outcomes or conclusions and those who want a family car for 7 have no other choice.

It depends on your priorities. If safety is at the bottom of the list, sure this thread is not important but for many others it is eye opening.
Wishing you the best with your pursuits!

Hyundai is going to be in a tough spot soon, with Maruti occupying the budget segment & hyundai not able to make headway there.
Mid segment is being occupied by Tata & mahindra with nexon, xuv & scorpio. Maruti & toyota will soon join this segment.
From strategic point of view Hyundai is going to feel the squeeze & it is going to be fun to watch.
I have been an owner of i20 from 2013 to 2022 & have seen the quality of vehicles & service going down with the years. Once the creta /seltos cash cow feels the heat, management is bound to wake up.

[GeeTee TSI]

For a customer who is not an automotive safety engineer, a car with 6 airbags as standard gives an aura of safety (and rightfully so). It is only recently that our average buyer started counting the number of airbags as a feature (thank God for that!) and a 3 star result with a 6 airbag equipped car just leaves the prospective customer confused and worse, apathetic towards safety features.

What hurts more is the rather good reputation of Kia in developed markets in safety (the other being class leading warranties).

[kaustavguha]

I think majority of the Indian car buyers don't care much about the crash ratings of the cars.

The waiting period of Creta and Seltos shows us just that, and their crash ratings have been out for quite sometime now.

I firmly believe that any car no matter how affordable or expensive it is, should be made with safety being the number one priority. But most of the times that does not translate into sales and all the OEMs know that.

A few extra features will sell much more than a car with one or two extra stars on Global-NCAP.

This shows in the car sales figures, four out of the top 5 selling cars in India during May 2022 have dismal crash ratings.

PS: As you can see I am a newbie, please correct me if I have written anything wrong.

[Maverick1977]

Originally Posted by nickelniks

I have been an owner of i20 from 2013 to 2022 & have seen the quality of vehicles & service going down with the years. Once the creta /seltos cash cow feels the heat, management is bound to wake up.

I just sold my 3 star Hyundai Elite i20 a month back. Drove it for 7 years totally oblivious to the fact that it was a 3 star car. It had only 2 airbags and the brakes were nothing great to write home about. Every BHPian I knew, criticised the i20 calling it a boat and what not as they used to own the Polo or Vento or Octavia and a few rich boys had their own big toys!

I knew one thing - I bought this car and am happy with what I have. I might probably go the same way with the Carens also.

Just before others start criticising (easiest thing to do anyway in life), I have owned a Skoda Laura also which I still love to bits. It was the build quality of this very car which could not get me to buy any of the new Skoda (made for India) cars (Kushaq or Slavia).

The only quest I have is to find out why the passenger side curtain airbags didn't pop out but the front passenger airbag did deploy. Any one can shed light on this? Surprised, no one asked this.

[thehighwayman]

Kia and Hyundai need to realize that human life in developing countries is not any less valuable than that in the developed world. For example , Kia Seltos sold in the US is a IIHS top safety pick but scores only 3 stars in Global NCAP.

Personally I no longer consider Kia or Hyundai when in the market for a new car ,however attractive or feature loaded their cars may be. Safety is something that should not be compromised at any cost. The sooner they learn this lesson the better.

[ASHUJNMC]

Originally Posted by CommitTran

I am sorry Sir but I disagree. IMHO all the airbags in the world can't replace a stronger stiffer stable body structure. Putting 6-8 air bags in unsafe cars won't make much difference.
.

As I have always said : providing pillows with a poorly constructed building is no protection against earthquake.

[K_Drive]

Originally Posted by mkumar79

Bling with marketing blitz has been the core differentiator for Kia/Hyundai. They can't afford to lose the lead on marketable features, especially when the profit margins are higher per gimmick.

Very true! Last year my friend was in market for new car. He want to get an i20 when he saw i20 Active for the first time. He wasn't much impressed with external looks of new i20. He was also looking for sub 10L on road price. He want to own a diesel car. Test driven following cars.

1. Altroz Diesel

He didn't liked the interiors of the car. Also he was also not impressed with the performance. Didn't felt premium.

2. Amaze Diesel

Ride was good. Spacious back seat. Easy to maneuver around the city and good engine. Nothing to say about interior. Not much premium feel.

3. i20 Diesel

Big infotainment systems and rich interiors. Excellent performance. He was able to connect with the car very easily. He felt overall interiors premium. The example given by him was, i20 felt like an Vivo phone and Altroz like a Redme phone. In his perspective Vivo got more features and it felt premium. He ignored crash test rating for features and premium looks. That's when I realized overall looks and feels of interiors do matter a lot for a typical buyer. He don't care much about the crash test ratings and he will find his own justifications for the same.

We can't blame Hyundai/Kia or even Maruti for its mediocre structural strength of their cars. They give what customer wants. It is up to customer to demand better crash test rated car. No one is forcing him.

Lot of decisive factors involved in a car purchase(this itself a vast topic). Crash test rating is not a major one for a novice/normal buyer. I wish BNCAP will educate common man about the crash test rating in similar way the BEE rating on electric/electronic appliances.

[Meph1st0]

The crash test ratings are in line with the expectations. I am a bit surprised that the ratings are better than Seltos. However, the way the A-pillar or the floor deforms is worrying.

The cost-cutting is clearly evident in the curtain airbags. Below is a screenshot from the Seltos Australia/USA crash test. The size of airbag in Carens seems to be significantly smaller and the protection is minimal for a shorter driver..


The way floor seems to have bent is scary. Below is a picture comparing with the XUV700 side crash test.


Finally, I do not blame Kia. After there are here for business and no one is forcing people to buy. The only way to force manufacturers to improve safety is by voting through the wallet. Bharat NCAP is a step in the right direction where all the cars will be mandatorily tested and the rating published. At least it will help buyers make an informed decision.

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

- 6 airbags as standard(a min.4 star GNCAP rating is what should supplement the no. of airbags, hope there's no slip-up this time around). Looks like Kia is trying to make amends after the Seltos' safety debacle. Fingers crossed though.

I was one of the doubting Thomases and thank you Kia for living upto the expectations

It's indeed saddening to see Hyundai/Kia not giving any saliency to safety aspect despite being main players in the market. The irony is their export models including Seltos and Sonet scores 5 star crash test ratings and it's being made at the very same factory. So it's obvious they've done deliberate dilution for their "Made for India" products. Kia may be thinking let the occupants inhale fresh and pure air in the event of a crash or possibly death, since their cars are equipped with air purifier. Cutting corners(and few structural members) is the mantra here.

If Tatas and Mahindras could make safe cars and still make profits, so can Kia. So cost isn't the issue here. It's despicable ethos of an organisation and it's management at play here. Maruti, hope you're listening too.

[fiat_tarun]

Safety is a design decision. Now that Kia / Hyundai have already taken the decision on the BIW and the cars are in production, any change is going to be very very expensive ! The BIW will have to be re-engineered, tools re-designed, etc. as it's not so simple as replacing the HSS with UHSS and the same tooling, etc. can be used.

This is why they are adding all the safety equipment they can to convince customers that the vehicles are safe. I honestly don't expect any structural changes till the next major facelift / gen. change.

[Maverick1977]

Ironically, there are just five, 5 Star rated cars in the Indian Market. If everyone's buying criteria was safety, the choice would be extremely narrow.

Though safety should always be a priority, manufacturers should also give better gear boxes (Punch, Nexon, XUV300 all come with AMT which are just not what an enthusiast might like).

I eagerly wanted to buy the Nexon for this exact reason but the AMT is such a downer, I had to strike it off my list. At the end of the day, daily driving is also important.

There are also so many cars which don't have any ratings, from Tata and M&M stables itself. Does this mean that they are not that safe because of which the manufacturer is chosing NOT to send these models for testing?

Hopefully with BNCAP, the Govt. must make testing mandatory for ALL cars. Till this happens we will never have a level playing field. And till that happens, we will be forced to buy cars with all kinds of ratings.

We all have also forgotten the important role the Roads (or the.lack of it) play in ensuring a safe drive. Why not question and hold the Govt. responsible for accidents caused due to poor roads. Heck, your 5 star rated car can't do anything if the road itself is bad.

Godspeed, BB

[krishnakumar]

Originally Posted by ron178

This exact front offset deformable barrier test has been around since 1997 (and a similar IIHS test since 1995) and manufacturers keep it in mind while designing cars, running simulations and internal physical pre-tests of this very test because it is common across most consumer safety programmes worldwide.

I'm sorry, you have me terribly confused across your multiple posts. Are you saying the test score has no bearing on whether the manufacturer has built a better chassis? I find it hard to believe that.

I understand that manufacturers design their cars keeping the tests in mind but aren't the tests themselves designed to represent "average" real-life situations? If not, why would those tests be common across other safety programs worldwide. And assuming that this is true, a chassis designed with the test in mind should fare well in "average" real-life situations.

I see the tests as certain standards. For example, like how we have building codes and thumb rules. Sure, it'll not work for all scenarios; anybody who thinks that is just fooling themselves. But it does represent the average and hence, it would matter.