Just how many “stars” are the side-impact airbags worth in the Toyota Raize? Four, apparently, as it scored a disappointing one-star rating at its Global New Car Assessment Program or NCAP safety test.
Produced also in Indonesia, but for the Latin American market, the model tested only had two airbags and Electronic Stability Control or ESC as standard. This mirrors the 1.2 E and 1.2 G spec for the Philippine market.
During its Global NCAP test, it achieved 40.54 percent in Adult Occupant, 71.57 percent in Child Occupant, 58.7 percent in Pedestrian Protection and Vulnerable Road Users and 58.14 percent in Safety Assist.
The Raize was tested in all aspects—frontal, side impact, whiplash, pedestrian protection, and ESC. The frontal impact showed unstable structure and marginal protection to driver chest. Side impact showed marginal protection to the chest and a relevant intrusion in the passenger compartment, increasing the risks of injuries to its occupants. As side head protection is not standard, side pole impact was rated with zero points and penalized for the lack of head protection in front and second rows.
The model tested also doesn’t offer any sort of ADAS mirroring the Philippine market spec.
“It is disappointing that Toyota once again engages in selling low-safety cars for certain countries in the region, such as the Raize. We know that the brand can achieve better performances in vehicle safety, so we strongly call for the company to reconsider its safety equipment strategy and subject its models to safety evaluations so that consumers know their real performance,” commented Stephan Brodziak, Latin NCAP Chairman.
It must be noted that the Raize as the Perodua Ativa scored a perfect 5-star rating when equipped with ADAS during its ASEAN NCAP test. Even without ADAS, like the Philippine-spec 1.0 Turbo, its rating drops by just one-star to a 4-star ASEAN NCAP rating.
