<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Slair @ Jun 11 2007, 12:48 PM) [snapback]459552[/snapback]</div> Interesting and scary
Hi All, Boy, that Aveo really crumples up the pasenger compartment! Malibu gets the same grade as the Prius, but the head goes through the airbag in the frontal, and there is leg/foot injury too.
What I thought was interesting is that the Prius (with side-curtain airbags, which I luckily have) did better than a lot of trucks and SUVs like he GMC Envoy, Sierra 1500 and Ford Escape. I'd read that bigger vehicles tend to fare better on average than smaller cars, but I wonder if it's just certain types of the bigger vehicles/smaller cars. The Prius with side-curtain airbags earned the highest marks possible!
Damn, I can't see how my model fairs though, then only go to the 2004-2007 model. I got the 2002 model. I figure I'd do only a bit worse in the frontal, and the side crash would be like the 2004 model with no side airbags. I'd like to know for SURE though. I was gonna look up our Toyota Previa, but with it being like a '93 model I wasn't too shocked that it wasn't in there. Thinking about it now, we own 3 Toyotas, my Prius, that old Previa, and a 2005 Sienna.
What amazes me is the design of the "crumple zones" and how well they actually work. These cars are going to fast that when they hit that barrier they totally lift off the ground. And the only damage is from the quarter panel on forward. There was one car I watched, I cant remember, but you could clearly tell it didnt have crumple zones because the doors were like acordians, and even the roof acordianed in, it was scary. Kia Optima, that was it. Watch the FJ cruiser, that thing gets plowed from the side but takes it like a champ. Its impressive. omg, I just watched the dodge neon. I think thats the worst one I've seen so far. My Wife drives a neon, and now its getting traded in asap. I cant have a car that poorly designed.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Slair @ Jun 12 2007, 07:39 AM) [snapback]460051[/snapback]</div> I wouldn't ride in a neon, much less drive one day to day... Wouldn't you know, I hit a deer today: There she sits, broken hearted...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GaS @ Jun 12 2007, 08:47 AM) [snapback]460056[/snapback]</div> My condolences. I hope she gets fixed soon. (In the crash testing, I looked at the Mustang convertible; I was quite surprised at how it fared. I honestly expected worse out of that car)
Here is the equivalent European site: http://www.euroncap.com/ Here is a direct link to the Prius Crashtests are scary, but very important. My father has spent plenty of years working with safety during his career at Volvo. Needless to say, I was the only child in my neighborhood that had to sit in a booster chair wearing the seatbelt, when I grew up. My friends used to sit on the central armrest, sleep on the little shelf in the rear window as the public knowledge of child safety in cars very low.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(donee @ Jun 11 2007, 07:02 PM) [snapback]459776[/snapback]</div> When my Prius was in the body shop (after being hit by a HUMMER), Enterprise put me in an Aveo. What a piece of junk. My 6-month-old Prius was hit by the Hummer at a sharp angle into the left rear door. Damage was confined to the door and a little dent in the rocker panel. The side airbags did not deploy. I guess the angle was wrong. I was completely unhurt. After $4,000 in repairs, my Prius was as good as new.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Slair @ Jun 13 2007, 02:29 PM) [snapback]460760[/snapback]</div> That is just to specify it's size. The results of the EuroNCAP tests are only comparable amongst the cars in the same category.
Thank you for posting this! I sent it to a bunch of friends. I watched the GMC 1500 Sierra one and really don't like the idea of driving my truck anymore. Well not that I drive it much anyway but still. lol
whew... i needed a reminder of what that side impact looks like... i had a very very near miss yesterday. almost got broadsided by a nissan armada that blew a red light going about 50 mph. my only concern is that the test car is hit by a ~3100 lb ram going 38 mph iirc and the armada's curb weight is nearly 5600 lbs. plus it was going faster. so what about being hit by a giant suv going really fast? i think it would be much worse. not just in the prius, but in any car.
Always drive defensively. Start with when the light turns green: if you don't look left and right to check for red-light runners, every time, you aren't driving defensively. Most side-impacts are when you get hit by a red-light runner, or when you are the offending party, and you run a red light, or stop sign. Even if you can't completely avoid a wreck, defensive driving will often give you the option to minimize the severity of a collision. Harry
i know how to drive defensively and i am aware of my surroundings. that's why i'm not in the hospital (or worse) right now.
I looked at a couple of cars that I considered before we decided on the Prius... EWWWWW! I am SO glad that we got our Prius!!
