Wondering if you should get VSC or side curtain air bags?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(viking31 @ Sep 15 2006, 10:55 AM) [snapback]320073[/snapback]</div>

Take it easy rick. Airbags, seatbelts, ABS all make perfect sense to me..... But in 11 years of driving, having grown up in Park City... I've never spun a car once. You learn to drive to your vehicles capabilities and not beyond. Feeling the road, feeling the slip, feeling the wheel, this is how you drive. Not by flying along and having a computer save your nice person.

The video freaking shows how with the VSC you can accelerate in turns in snowy conditions.... I don't like how that will make the average joe six pack drive his SUV.... Sorry.

And call me crazy, but I actually like to control the vehicle in a tight situation and not have a beep go off and have no idea which direction my car is going to go. That is why you took the 4 and I took the 3.

I'll finish by saying that I think for poor drivers this is a great idea.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Sep 14 2006, 01:06 PM) [snapback]319683[/snapback]</div>

I don't know about the present package structure, but I bought a 2004 package 7 ("AM") which was clearly the "safety" package. It only had two features which I would not call safety improvements, and one of those is considered safety-related by others, so it's just a question of perspective.

The two were SKS (which I was delighted with immediately, even though I didn't want it before I had it), and the HID headlights, which some people feel are better because you see the road better, but my view is that it's unsafe to blind the oncoming driver.

Those two quibbles aside, the "AM" package in 2004 was clearly intended by Toyota to be all the safety features and little else. I agree that all the safety features without the other "luxury" items, should always be one of the packages, as it was in 2004.

And I'll echo nearly everyone above: I'll never own another car without VSC plus the full compliment of air bags. (Though it sounds like I won't have to worry, with them becoming standard soon.)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sl7vk @ Sep 15 2006, 11:10 AM) [snapback]320082[/snapback]</div>

I didn't mean to personally attack you and I do applaud your driving record in Park City by never having spun out in your vehicles you have owned. But accidents are caused all the time by people driving cautiously and carefully. It could be a deer darting out in front of you car or a drunk swerving into your lane and there just happens to be black ice, sand, water, oil, etc, at the very point you swerve to avoid a collision. VSC just may get you out of trouble. VSC can't fix every slide or out of control situation; the laws of physics will determine if the VSC can correct your slide.

But all it takes is just once. At times you may just spin on the highway and nothing happens. No one is hurt, no collision. But other times you may hit a tree or telephone pole and be seriously injured, or total your car; if it was me I would always wondering if VSC could have avoided such a collision.

I don't believe VSC will cause you to get out of control. That would be a very serious issue and I know there would be plenty of lawyers lining up to make a buck if that was true. You can bet Toyota has volumes of tests and engineering backing up VSC's safety and effectiveness. You still should be able to drive the Prius to its limits without VSC interfering with your control.

Rick
#4 2006

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(viking31 @ Sep 15 2006, 01:28 PM) [snapback]320152[/snapback]</div>

Fair enough. My point is simply that if they are going to add 500 bucks to the sticker and make it standard, I prefer having the CHOICE. Now it sounds as if they are giving it away for damned near nothing on the 07's and that is great. But for ME the choice is simple.

I will make a point of getting the VSC for my wife's next car, being that she never grew up in a climate like this and I think it could really benefit her.

 

deleted post.