I hope and pray that this never happens to anybody , but the es seems to do well in a 35 mph frontal impact. It is amazing how much kinetic energy the car has, even at 'only' 35 mph. Most people don't realize that the kinetic energy increases with the square of the velocity. So at 50 mph the kinetic energy essentially doubles. We all know that 50mph feels like nothing in our es series.

Drive safe...

 

Could be worst for an off-set crash that they also test. Anybody know how the ES does on that?

 

Here are the results from the IIHS. Overall, good but somehow still not a Top Safety Pick. I guess they haven't done the small overlap test yet, so that could be it.

 

Here is the T-bone side crash test. It comes up with a highest rating but it is terrifying.

 

Very disturbing, especially when it looks like the front bumper of the oncoming vehicle looks like it extends about 2 feet into the passenger area. It's no wonder the driver or rear passenger didn't have any major hip or neck injury, although the rear passenger looked like it flew out more.

 

After this I want to look both ways before going through any intersection, never mind even if I have the green light.

 

After being involved in a t-bone crash, some years ago, that video is just amazing. In 2000, my Maxima was totaled when a kid driving a 240Z hit it. He spun-out on a curve, while I was driving in the opposite direction. I saw him lose it and stopped, but that didn't prevent the collision. He was going sideways when the right side of his car hit the front of mine... The 240Z was bent in a U-shape, with more than half of the passenger compartment crushed. If there had been a passenger in the right seat of that car, she surely would have died instantly.

In this video, it looks like the bumper of the other car goes into the side of the ES much farther than it actually does, because of the crumple-zone on the front of the other car. Look at the bumper and the white foam behind it after the crash to see the actual amount. The occupants of the ES get shoved sideways, but not actually crushed, and it looks like the side air-bags support their heads nicely. Certainly not pleasant, but much less bad than the same crash would have been in the past.

 

If you think those videos are scary, you should look up the videos of some cars that did poorly.

The full frontal crash isn't much of an indicator nowadays, most cars do very well on that. The small overlap test is the real teller.

 

Never ever ever get into a Smart Car. They offer about as much protection as a motorbike.