MB can't even get the basics right anymore!!
11-01-06, 05:54 PM
#46
Safest Cars of 2005
Vehicles that can save.
By Eric PetersEveryone knows which cars are fast -- Corvettes, Mustangs, Mitsubishi Evos -- but which cars are the safest cars on the road? According to government (www.nhtsa.dot.gov) and insurance industry (www.iihs.org) crash test data, the following cars are among the safest on the road in terms of their ability protect their occupants from being killed or injured in a crash:
Large Sedans:
Mercedes-Benz E Class (base price $50,500): Vault-like heavy steel construction and the presence of state-of-the-art passenger protection systems -- including head and torso-protecting side impact air bags -- make the E-Class extremely safe at any speed. These features also helped earn the E-Class an IIHS "Best Pick" rating among cars in its price/size range.
Volvo S80 (base price $36,365): Sweden's biggest automaker continues to build some of the most crashworthy vehicles you can buy -- at any price. The S80 received the highest possible scores in both government and IIHS crash testing -- and offers buyers the flexibility of available all-wheel-drive and fuel-efficient but powerful turbocharged inline five and six-cylinder engines.
Mid-Sized Sedans:
*Honda Accord (base price $16,295): One of the safest -- and most affordable -- ways to carry your family, the Accord received a perfect 5 Star rating for both front and rear seat occupant protection in both frontal and side-impact crashes. New for '05 is a hybrid gas-electric powertrain option that pushes the fuel efficiency envelope to an economy car-like 40 mpg, but without compromising the inherently better occupant protection of a larger, mid-sized car.
Mitsubishi Galant (base price $18,999): Comparable in size, roominess and power to the segment powerhouses -- Honda's Accord and the Toyota Camry -- the Galant also offers comparable levels of crash protection -- earning a 5 Star rating in most crash tests and an overall IIHS Rating of "Good" ( the highest possible) in a more aggressively styled, different drummer shape.
Small Cars:
Chevy Cobalt (base price $13,625 ): The successor to the Cavalier as Chevy's entry-level compact can be equipped with side-curtain air bags -- and prelimary data indicates this will score vastly better than its predecessor in government and IIHS crash testing. It can be equipped with a 205-hp supercharged engine in the sport-themed Cobalt SS
Toyota Corolla (base price $13,780): One of the most popular small cars ever built, the Corolla is also built to take a hit -- with the latest "multi-stage" air bags that adjust the force of their deployment based on the severity of the crash. Corollas can also be equipped with electronic stability control -- a very unusual feature in this price range. The Corolla earned the best-possible 5 Star rating in government crash testing.
Vehicles that can save.
By Eric PetersEveryone knows which cars are fast -- Corvettes, Mustangs, Mitsubishi Evos -- but which cars are the safest cars on the road? According to government (www.nhtsa.dot.gov) and insurance industry (www.iihs.org) crash test data, the following cars are among the safest on the road in terms of their ability protect their occupants from being killed or injured in a crash:
Large Sedans:
Mercedes-Benz E Class (base price $50,500): Vault-like heavy steel construction and the presence of state-of-the-art passenger protection systems -- including head and torso-protecting side impact air bags -- make the E-Class extremely safe at any speed. These features also helped earn the E-Class an IIHS "Best Pick" rating among cars in its price/size range.
Volvo S80 (base price $36,365): Sweden's biggest automaker continues to build some of the most crashworthy vehicles you can buy -- at any price. The S80 received the highest possible scores in both government and IIHS crash testing -- and offers buyers the flexibility of available all-wheel-drive and fuel-efficient but powerful turbocharged inline five and six-cylinder engines.
Mid-Sized Sedans:
*Honda Accord (base price $16,295): One of the safest -- and most affordable -- ways to carry your family, the Accord received a perfect 5 Star rating for both front and rear seat occupant protection in both frontal and side-impact crashes. New for '05 is a hybrid gas-electric powertrain option that pushes the fuel efficiency envelope to an economy car-like 40 mpg, but without compromising the inherently better occupant protection of a larger, mid-sized car.
Mitsubishi Galant (base price $18,999): Comparable in size, roominess and power to the segment powerhouses -- Honda's Accord and the Toyota Camry -- the Galant also offers comparable levels of crash protection -- earning a 5 Star rating in most crash tests and an overall IIHS Rating of "Good" ( the highest possible) in a more aggressively styled, different drummer shape.
Small Cars:
Chevy Cobalt (base price $13,625 ): The successor to the Cavalier as Chevy's entry-level compact can be equipped with side-curtain air bags -- and prelimary data indicates this will score vastly better than its predecessor in government and IIHS crash testing. It can be equipped with a 205-hp supercharged engine in the sport-themed Cobalt SS
Toyota Corolla (base price $13,780): One of the most popular small cars ever built, the Corolla is also built to take a hit -- with the latest "multi-stage" air bags that adjust the force of their deployment based on the severity of the crash. Corollas can also be equipped with electronic stability control -- a very unusual feature in this price range. The Corolla earned the best-possible 5 Star rating in government crash testing.
11-01-06, 09:25 PM
#47
Lexus Champion
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Agreed - Forbes just rated it one of the 10 least safe cars. I don't fully understand their reasoning - I think some of it comes from the fact that side airbags are optional on the car and that ticked them off.
11-01-06, 10:40 PM
#48
Out of Warranty
I saw one at the scene of an accident a few miles outside Winnie, TX - an S-class sedan approaching a "Y" intersection, evidently at a VERY high rate of speed, selected "none of the above" from the options and plowed and rolled its way through a grassy field. A new flatbed tow truck and two carloads of blue-smocked investigators with the large white tri-star on the back rolled up on the scene, spoke to the DPS (highway patrol) officers controlling the investigation and began taking photos, measurements, and notes.
The big sedan was rolled up into an almost unrecognizable ball, and a couple hours later as I passed the scene again, they were loading the carcass onto the flatbed in preparation to haul it away. I don't know of another manufacturer anywhere that would travel 90 miles from any kind of civilization just to look at an ex-car. (so much for the Monty Python "Dead Parrot" reference!)
11-03-06, 08:10 AM
#51
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G=Good; A=Acceptable; M=Marginal; P=Poor
from the same source
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/summary.aspx?class=10
You are barking at the 07 E for getting (A) acceptable rating for side impact when the 07 GS get (M) marginal rating for rear impact. The differrence between A & M can be life and death
from the same source
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/summary.aspx?class=10
You are barking at the 07 E for getting (A) acceptable rating for side impact when the 07 GS get (M) marginal rating for rear impact. The differrence between A & M can be life and death
The rear impact test specifically looks at the risk of a whiplash type injury in a rear shunt situation-they actually perform this test with the dummy seated in the car seat on a track.In other words,it has nothing to do with the structural protection of the car body itself.
I know where I would rather have decent protection.
Hmmm,a bit of whiplash from some bozo rear ending me,or my head and thorax caved in from a side impact?
Yeah,tough choice.
11-03-06, 09:06 AM
#52
Lexus Test Driver
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All I know is that Audi builds some of the safest cars in the world and probably of any manufacturer.
Audi Leads Industry with Three Models Named "Top Safety Pick" by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Audi Leads Industry with Three Models Named "Top Safety Pick" by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Last edited by mavericck; 11-03-06 at 09:12 AM.
11-03-06, 11:51 AM
#53
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Sorry to burst your bubble,but the frontal and side impact tests examine the protection offered by the integrity of the car itself.
The rear impact test specifically looks at the risk of a whiplash type injury in a rear shunt situation-they actually perform this test with the dummy seated in the car seat on a track.In other words,it has nothing to do with the structural protection of the car body itself.
I know where I would rather have decent protection.
Hmmm,a bit of whiplash from some bozo rear ending me,or my head and thorax caved in from a side impact?
Yeah,tough choice.
The rear impact test specifically looks at the risk of a whiplash type injury in a rear shunt situation-they actually perform this test with the dummy seated in the car seat on a track.In other words,it has nothing to do with the structural protection of the car body itself.
I know where I would rather have decent protection.
Hmmm,a bit of whiplash from some bozo rear ending me,or my head and thorax caved in from a side impact?
Yeah,tough choice.
11-03-06, 12:50 PM
#54
Lexus Test Driver
Sorry to burst your bubble,but the frontal and side impact tests examine the protection offered by the integrity of the car itself.
The rear impact test specifically looks at the risk of a whiplash type injury in a rear shunt situation-they actually perform this test with the dummy seated in the car seat on a track.In other words,it has nothing to do with the structural protection of the car body itself.
I know where I would rather have decent protection.
Hmmm,a bit of whiplash from some bozo rear ending me,or my head and thorax caved in from a side impact?
Yeah,tough choice.
The rear impact test specifically looks at the risk of a whiplash type injury in a rear shunt situation-they actually perform this test with the dummy seated in the car seat on a track.In other words,it has nothing to do with the structural protection of the car body itself.
I know where I would rather have decent protection.
Hmmm,a bit of whiplash from some bozo rear ending me,or my head and thorax caved in from a side impact?
Yeah,tough choice.
Tough choices. Maybe I'll just walk and forget about it all.
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