Car safety tech: Explained with the Skoda Slavia
The Skoda Slavia scored a full five stars out of five in the recent GNCAP crash tests, which makes it India’s safest car. The Slavia scored five stars for both adults and children. The body structure and the platform play a huge role in its crash safety, ably aided by its array of active and passive safety features.
The crashworthiness of the made-in-India MQB-A0-IN platform means that the Slavia is a very safe car to drive yourself and your family in. This platform is based on the European MQB-A0 platform, and while it has been localised, it does not compromise on structural integrity. What is commendable is that the GNCAP tested a Slavia with two airbags for the frontal impact test and it still scored five stars, proving that the body structure forms the core of crash safety and not just the number of airbags. In case of Skoda, the body structure is inherently designed with crash absorbance right at the outset. The structure of the Slavia makes use of high tensile steel and laser-welded architecture to ensure optimal crash absorption and dissemination. This means that the structure absorbs the impact of the crash in the case of an accident, distributing the forces around the cabin rather than inside it.
Making the Slavia a car that is more secure are the safety systems it has on offer, which include both active and passive safety systems. Passive safety systems help you prevent and avoid an accident in the first place. For example, the tyre pressure monitoring system of the Slavia helps avoid driving with the incorrect tyre pressures which could lead to an accident. You also get a rear view camera along with parking sensors that come in handy when reversing the Slavia, aiding you to manoeuvre easily without bumping into an obstacle or another vehicle. Similarly, the Slavia gets hill hold control to prevent you from rolling back when you start driving on an incline.
Active safety systems on the other hand are designed to help you in the crucial moments before or during an accident. These systems often work together, and the Skoda Slavia is loaded with these safety features. The brakes of the Slavia for instance get ABS (anti-lock braking system) and EBD (electronic brake force distribution) on offer, and in addition to these systems you also get BDW (brake disc wiping). BDW aids particularly in wet driving conditions, where the brakes are applied at predetermined intervals to prevent a film of grime from covering the brake discs and affecting the braking capabilities. You also get multi collision braking, which prevents further uncontrolled movement of the vehicle in the case of a collision.
The electronic stability control or ESC present on the Slavia prevents the car in the situation of a skid. A control unit constantly compares the car’s running speeds and the steering wheel angle applied, and if the movement differs from the safe, computed values, the ESC system can cut down the power or brake one or multiple wheels of the Slavia to prevent losing control. The Skoda also comes with an XDS and XDS+ system, an electronic assistance program which aids the driving dynamics in the bends. The XDS system simulates the presence of a LSD (limited slip differential) by gently braking the inner wheels when the Slavia is driving through a corner, and sending more power to the outer wheels, ensuring that driving through a corner is safer – and consequently, faster.
To top it off, the top of the line versions of the Skoda Slavia get up to six airbags on the top variants, including curtain airbags, while most of the aforementioned safety equipment is standard across the entirety of the variant lineup.
