Prius "c" among those that received a "poor" rating in IIHS crash test...

That really sucks. Just goes to show that car manufacturers have to be continually proactive to stay ahead of the game.

 

Not the worst of the bunch but not the best either

 

My question is how does the regular Prius (aka liftback) compare to Prius C in that IIHS test?

Are they both marginal (meaning still pretty darn good compared to older cars) or is the Prius C worse?

 

Prius C didn't get a marginal rating. It got a poor.

 

Yaris is better than C, I think they use the same chassis.

 

Well I was expecting that much when I decided to buy a subcompact vehicle...

In the universe small has never outdone big, but no matter the size, care and attention is always a win in preventing accidents

And how many times do they perform these tests per vehicle??? seems from the video's it's a one time thing...all crashes are never the same I suppose even if the conditions are the same in all tests.

 

noted, the question remains is that poor compared to the regular Prius or the same as a regular Prius?

 

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/toyota/prius

 

It's poor compared to all cars. Not sure what the regular Prius got.

 

As mentioned before - small car rarely fares as well as big car wherever general physics are applied. Additionally, as I am conducting research on my next vehicle - I noted that the "c" model and "c" rated a good, or Top safety pick from the IIHS for side impacts. Now both apparently suck eggs for frontal. My question - why the heck not do both crash tests as the same time? Very confusing + I am sure a lot of consumers purchased based on the initial side impact metric data.

I am looking at the IIHS site and the Prius rates a Acceptable for small overlap front:

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/toyota/prius/2014

 

Vehicle details


Initially it got a good rating on all tests.

 

Prius (liftback) A, G, G, G, G
Prius C (small) P, G, G, G, G
from

Vehicle details
and
Vehicle details



so yes it is worse

 

But here is an important caveat:

"Applies to 2014 models built after November 2013"

"Beginning with 2014 Prius and Prius Plug-in models, the front structure was modified and the side curtain airbags were lengthened to improve occupant protection in small overlap frontal crashes. Then, starting with 2014 cars built after November 2013, the 15-inch alloy wheels standard on most models were sourced from a single supplier to provide a more controlled crush during the small overlap test (note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door)."

Considering the timing of the Prius V small-overlap results... it sounds like a collaboration/intervention between the IIHS and Toyota. It seems like Toyota was given the opportunity to "fix" the Prius Liftback ASAP and delay its IIHS small-overlap test. Because 1) the Liftback is the most popular of the Prii, so it would've made sense to test it first (it wasn't, or at least the results wasn't publicised); and 2) the not-fail result of the Liftback was pretty much unpublicised. It goes to reason that one might not want to draw that much attention to something if it's a "last minute save" of sorts.

 

and my 2005 Prius (mine does have the side curtain airbags that were optional)

2005 Prius G, G, M

So a 2014 Prius C is worse than my 2005 Prius, but a 2014 Prius (liftback) is better than my 2005 Prius in terms of safety.

so how about the 2010 Prius liftback?

2010 Prius G, G, G

So the 2010 is safer than the 2005 but not as safe as the 2014.

and of course none of the Prius models are as safe as a Tesla Model S (no testing data on that site but it tested well with other crash testing centers)

OK so how about the Nissan Leaf?

2011 Leaf G, G, G, G
2012 Leaf G, G, G, G
2013 Leaf G, G, G, G
2014 Leaf G, G, G, G


Notice how different cars receive different testing? G is better than A but what about the 2014 Leaf vs 2014 Prius? One got 5 tests, the other got 4. The LEAF just hasn't been tested yet in small overlap so we don't know how they compare.

 

Furthermore:

“Small, lightweight vehicles have an inherent safety disadvantage. That’s why it’s even more important to choose one with the best occupant protection,” says Joe Nolan, the institute’s senior vice president for vehicle research. “Unfortunately, as a group, minicars aren’t performing as well as other vehicle categories in the small overlap crash.”

The results were mostly good news for Chevrolet. The Spark's acceptable rating in the test — along with good ratings in the group’s four other crashworthiness evaluations — earned it a Top Safety Pick award, the institute’s second-highest rating.
But the institute still warned that the Spark’s vehicle structure came apart in the crash.

“When a vehicle’s structure doesn’t hold up, injury risk is high,” the institute said in its report. “Consumers should remember that the Spark, while offering more small overlap protection than other minicars, weighs less than 2,500 pounds and doesn't protect as well as a larger and heavier vehicle with a comparable rating.”


http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-toyota-honda-fail-iihs-crash-tests-20140121,0,2230299.story#ixzz2rAPxK5IT



Although this passage would seem to imply that the "Poor" of the V is better than the same of the C... "Poor" is the all-encompassing bottom end of the scale, and so you don't really know just now bad is relative to another bad.

 

Doubters, rest assured. I was in "the crash test" last month.

An oncoming car lost control on slush and ice and slid sideways at around 35 mph, smack into the front of my car and destroyed it.
Because of the road, the collision was totally unavoidable. When the collision happened, I slowed down to 35 mph as well.
That's a speed difference of 70 mph.
I had no injuries.
Neither did the other party.
For me, only the seat belt got tight and tugged on my rib cage a bit.
The other party's air bags never deployed - though they got spun around.

So, go buy your Prius c, and not obsess over the rating these "crash testers" give the car.

(I'll support the cause for the team.)

 

Toyota apparently tweeked Prius Liftback to improve test results (so Prius Liftback after Nov 2013 is better). What I am unclear on is if the other versions c,v also tweeked.

 

Nissan did this in the 2013 Altima, at first not really saying what changed only 6 months after a brand new model was introduced... Then all the sudden people buying cars made after the change couldn't get custom floor mats to fit the passenger side. Turns out, they made structural changes to better pass this test, and that added a hump in the passenger floor panel thus making vendors offer two different floor mats for the 2013.... Uggggh problem #90000000 I had with that car....