Traded in...

It’s not about avoiding an accident if a semi next to you does a hard left. It’s about surviving an accident.

At that point it’s physics.

 

According to whom?

 

The Lone Star state, where if you aren't doing 90mph in some places, you're taking forever.

Survivors?

 

I am familiar with this myself.

I don't remember if it was IIHS or NHTSA, but according to statistics, larger vehicles are safer in multivehicle collisions, a Camry being a lot safer than a Corolla or Prius.

However, small vehicles are a lot safer in single-car collisions, SUVs and pickup trucks being the least safe.

The reason is simple physics. Larger vehicles have more mass and energy; so, the momentum and energy is transferred to the other vehicles in multivehicle collisions but to the vehicle and occupants themselves in single-vehicle collisions.

 

Yeah.. When you get *crickets* as a response, you know you are on thin ice.

 

Thank you for pointing this out. I’m no longer married for this reason. My former husband didn’t think comfort and safety were priorities. Unfortunately took me a while to grasp what was going on because I grew up in a similar situation. I now know better.

I sometimes fear the angle of the large windshield and have concerns about crouching to get in but like the stability of a car that’s lower to the ground. Easier to maneuver and less chance of tipping. Probably also depends on one’s life experience. I tipped a Datsun truck going down a steep, wet, leaf covered hill when I was a teenager. : /

Still waiting on my Prius and any time I see a post on this topic I start second guessing myself. Most near accidents I’ve had have involved quickly getting out of the way. I’m not sure I could do that safely in an SUV without tipping. Maybe just fears connected to the Datsun tip from long ago.

I figure the crouching will force me to stay in shape and if it gets to be too much I will find a way to get a Prius Off Road lift. Even an inch would make a difference.

Otherwise it’s a Corolla Cross Hybrid but I couldn’t get the headrest to adjust to a comfortable position. It forced me to hunch over no matter how it was adjusted plus the ride didn’t feel as stable. I think sitting up high is a false sense of security but I get it. There is simply not a best of both worlds car out there for me right now.

 

Yes - there's that. Being able to see farther out - when there are lots & lots of tall vehicles all around gives one more spatial awareness - rather than simply relying on brake lights that may have already turned on in front of you too late.

 

Reminds me of some VW I sat in at a car show: my head was cranked over against the ceiling; I tried pulling some little dash gizmo towards me and it came off in my hand...

First impressions that linger for decades, lol.

 

Some bugs DO have very little Headroom.



.

 

Yes, being able to see over the cars would be nice.

 

I own two motorcycles, and I've owned an MX-5 - so the automotive Napoleonic complexities aren't really a factor for me personally.
I prefer long distance travel in a truck because of visibility, safety, utility (bags are easier to load/unload from a truck bed than a trunk) and utility (hauling messy/malodorous cargo) and utility (towing) and utility (six seatbelts.)
That's just me being me.
I also have over 200,000 miles in Priuses and despite their many MANY warts they were capable, if uninspired/inspiring people haulers.

@ safety.
You KNOW you're going to be in an accident.
Pick One:
Full sized Pickup.
Prius.

The arguments about crumple zones, vehicle stability, and distribution of energy through a body-on-frame vehicle versus a unibody constructed vehicle are entertaining, but at the end of the day:

Happy spouse.
Happy house.

That my CFO insisted that our last vehicle purchase be another full sized P/U is YET FURTHER PROOF that I won the spouse lottery.
Besides....I also chose wisely in where I live.....
(The prices have dropped since 16 July)

 

..... and don't forget my favorite, while traveling through the South;
(it's why our 3500 Sprinter chassis contains 2 empty Jerry cans ... for just such occasions)

HA ! Diesel for less than ethanol free regular. Only in the south.
.

 

I havent looked up the single vs multi vehicle angle before. Interesting.

All I know for sure is that yes, against very big heavy things like semis, a small car will take a worse beating than a small one. But, the way I See it, against an 18 wheeler, there aren't many cars that would fare well. And, personally, I prefer to buy something based on the vast majority of my driving experience as opposed to a low likelihood issue.

I mean, a rav4 or even a ram1500 won't exactly do great if an 18 wheeler attempts to drive over you either. Maybe in some scenarios the heavier vehicle will fare better based on the physics of weight, momentum, etc.

But, if most of the time I'm next to other sedans or compact SUVs, accidents will be based on a weight ratio that's way lower than that of a semi.

When it comes to the *feeling* of being less safe, there are many cars that have their doors and half their wheel height where your head is in a smaller car. I've been next to some giant SUVs that give me that uneasy feeling, knowing that I could well be in one of their giant blind spots. But I don't want to join the arms race on vehicle size myself, knowing that doing so would make a meaningful difference in such a small number of situations that I accept fate.

The prius is an amazing commuter car. For long, regular, taken often road trips, I'd probably get a camry at minimum. Not just for overall safety/size concerns though, but moreso for the comfort of driving. If I needed to tow stuff like a camper, then I'd grab a bigger SUV or truck like OP did.

Maybe part of the problem was the very drastic shift from a big truck to a prius. The middle ground of a compact or midsize SUV would probably have gone over better with the wife, to be honest. A rav4prime would have probably been the best compromise for them, but they poisoned the well with the straight to prius jump with the wife's concerns.

 

There is no reason that a Camry would be safer than a Corolla or Prius. Even if you cherry pick the stats to find the most suitable model to get the Camry,with the best safety rating, the way that the car is built makes a lot of difference as to keeping the crash energy from making it to the passengers. The Prius has been highly rated in recent models. Our 14 year old Camry Hybrid? Don't know simply because they don't test 14 year old cars.

 

i drove a prius for 20 years, never gave it a second thought. but after trading for a bolt,(whichis a smaller vehicle) i appreciate the increased height and visibility.

 

Camry is safer than Prius. These are not crash tests but actual traffic-fatality statistics.

When you take into account both single- and multivehicle crashes, midsize and large cars such as Camry and Avalon are the the sweet spot for the safest vehicles, SUVs and pickup trucks being less safe, and compacts being even less safe, and subcompacts being the least safe by far.