Euro NCAP, the automotive safety watchdog, has given the standard version of the made-in-India Suzuki Baleno a 3-star rating, while the optional safety pack-equipped variant received a 4-star rating. This makes the Baleno the first car to receive a 'Dual Rating' from Euro NCAP.
Though the 3-star rated regular car doesn’t break any news, it’s the optional 'Radar Brake Support'- equipped Baleno’s 4-star rating that is the talking point. This variant of the premium hatchback features an AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking) City and AEB Inter-Urban system.
Euro NCAP’s decision to allow two different star ratings for the same vehicle is a measure adopted to help car buyers better understand the benefits are of additional crash avoidance equipment on their cars.
While only the seatbelt reminder qualified as a ‘safety assist’ feature on the standard model, the optional autonomous braking system helped the safety pack-equipped Balenoto earn the 4-star rating.
It is also worth mentioning that an optional speed assistance system is also available for the car. However, the system is not included in the option pack, and hence wasn’t considered during the car’s assessment.
In India, the Baleno comes equipped with ABS and dual airbags as standard, unlike the Europe-spec cars that get up to six airbags. The car is priced from Rs 5.15 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Adding the same number of airbags as the Euro-spec car and other safety features like Radar Brake Support may push the Baleno’s pricing up by a substantial margin. Also, the ban on radar-based features on cars in India means this system won’t make it into the Maruti Baleno any time soon.
Rivan RS 
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
