I was shocked to see the way the Yaris looked after the test

http://video.ultimatestreet.com/vide...s-toyota-yaris

 

that yaris got mangled!

 

Ouch
The passenger cabin did better in the stationary offset

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j32yZ4KwrNI

 

40-40 head on.
that's like crashing into a wall at ~75mph

yaris driver would have been killed.


note to self: when renting Yaris, drive on outside lane, away from opposing traffic.

 

Yaris dummy slams into hood of Camry. Holy crap.

 

No surprising at all - its a light car vs heavy car.
Camry vs Yaris at 40-40 is like Yaris hitting a wall at 50 and Camry hitting a wall at 30. Or even 55 - 25..

 

It's not a Toyota problem, but simply the law of physics at work. They did the same test with the Accord and Fit and the Fit was just as unfortunate. The reality is that small cars fair worse against big cars. Nothing new here. Still, the Yaris and Fit are safe for what they are and will keep you alive in normal, less extreme crashes.

 

Are there any stats or anything to read about the video? I can show all sorts of cars looking like crap in crash tests.

 

Who/what performed this supposed crash test?

 

Umm. No. It's exactly the same as hitting a wall at 40 mph. Ask Mythbusters.

 

The fact remains that you could say that about anything.

The question is: Do you want to be in the smaller car WHEN it hits a bigger one? I hope that extra MPG you'll get in the small car is worth it!

 

And if you drive a Hummer, what will you do head on against an 18-wheeler?

There's always something bigger. There's added risks to driving a small car but to many, the benefits are plentiful enough to justify.

Plus, a crash like this is EXTREMELY rare. We're talking about two cars going at 40mph and neither of them touching the brakes or steering clear. Typically, if two cars collide like this, they'll be some braking involved greatly reducing impact speed.

Here's the Accord vs Fit...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaBuy1T69kQ

Smart vs MB C-Class...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4k0FWvGoSM

 

Even in an extremely mild crash, the Smart 4 two car and passengers will get punished. I Dont care if it had 20 airbags. Simply not enough car to absorb the impact. Thats a car strictly for the side streets of a city and not a freeway.

 

Yes, but regular cars/SUVs outnumber 18 wheelers in US, so the odds of a 18 wheeler hitting you are much lower than being hit by a regular car. Not that this changes anything when a collision happens between a smaller vehicle and a larger vehicle, we know which vehicle will have the most damage inflicted on it (and which vehicle has higher incidence of injuries too).

And Accords outnumber Fits, C-classes outnumber Smart cars, etc. Given those 4 choices I know which cars I prefer to ride in and/or own.

 

Yes, not very good at all for the Yaris, but the Fit, and Smart ALL DO BAD in the same sort of crashes.

You can't cheat the laws of physics. ALL small cars do poorly in a head-on crash with bigger cars.

Given this, the Yaris and Fit are very safe for the small car class.