I know this sounds a little obvious, but it's interesting due to how different the results are compared to the tests that give microcars like the Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit excellent ratings. A lot of people don't know this, but the "excellent" and "good" ratings assigned to those vehicles are based on collisions with similar sized vehicles (other microcars).

According to a new test which involved crashing microcars into larger vehicles (like a Mercedes C class), the microcar's dummies all suffered significant injury. Since most accidents in the "real world" involve a "regular sized" car (not another microcar), this puts an interesting spin on the supposedly high safety ratings of cars like the Yaris and Smart ForTwo.


Micro-cars can give motorists top-notch fuel efficiency at a competitive price, but the insurance industry says they don't fare too well in collisions with larger vehicles.

In crash tests released Tuesday, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (http://www.iihs.org/) found that drivers of 2009 versions of the Smart "fortwo," Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris could face significant leg and head injuries in severe front-end crashes with larger, mid-size vehicles.

"There are good reasons people buy mini-cars. They're more affordable, and they use less gas. But the safety trade-offs are clear from our new tests," said Adrian Lund, the institute's president.

He told CBS News, "We know people are trying to save money in this economy; it's just not healthy decision to do that by buying the smallest cars. ... Small cars are at a disadvantage in almost all crashes."

The test was conducted at 40mph, which is considered an "extreme" accident, but the difference in the performance of the micorocars from previous IIHS tests was startling.

In the fortwo collision, the Institute said the Smart (which weighs 1,808 lbs.) went airborne and turned around 450 degrees after striking the C Class, which weighs nearly twice as much.

There was extensive damage to the fortwo's interior, and the Smart driver could have faced extensive injuries to the head and legs. There was little damage to the front seat area of the C Class.

Toyota spokesman John Hansen was dismissive of the tests, accusing the IIHS of "having an agenda".


"It's fairly obvious that they have an agenda here with regard to how smaller cars are going to be entering the North American market in larger numbers," Hanson said.

http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2009/04/13/image4940459g.jpg

Full story (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/14/earlyshow/main4943398.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4943398)

Haha, I've always said those cars such shit. I recently saw one get stuck in the snow all I could hear was a little ****ing electric motor. The funny part was that I had got through that snow with ease 5 minutes earlier.

shockandawe.gif

Physics is a bitch.

Agree with MauiV.....simple jr high physics tells you that the smaller car is going to lose......however it was fun to watch the crash test videos and see the little cars fly 30 feet from the impact site!

Here's some videos I found of the tests- brutal.

C300 vs ForTwo:

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Accord vs Fit:

NLfK35O91gE

Camry vs Yaris

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Haha. I argue with people constantly about how unsafe the Smart cars are and they always say "It got good ratings." Now I have something to contradict them with. I always wondered what one would look like after getting close and personal with a Semi.

Accord vs Fit:

NLfK35O91gE

The Fit is go no mo.

Um...duh?

And that was against an Accord and a C-Class --- not the largest of vehicles.

Where is the Yaris v. 'Lade test??

I'd like to see a smart car vs. a full size truck, maybe 1 ton dually? lol

OMG! That Smart went flying!

I lol'ed at the end of the Merc vs Smart when the Mercedes logo just flew away :lol:

I lol'ed at the end of the Merc vs Smart when the Mercedes logo just flew away :lol:

Me too! Its like the Merc saw its nose and screamed "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-"

Smart owner, meet my friend Isaac Newton.

Reason # 456 not to buy anything tiny. :D

I'd like to see a smart car vs. a full size truck, maybe 1 ton dually? lol

Yeah, or an 8500lb H2

I want to see Smart vs Dodge crew cab dually. The smart would look like a bug that got splattered in the truck's grill

To hell with that, let me see my ETC up against one of those Smart cars or the Fit. The Yaris fared a little better, but it's also heavier and bigger. A 1998 ETC replacing the Merc in that first test . . . . jeez. The Smart's engine would be in the driver's lap, and the driver's teeth would end up as hood ornaments on the Eldo. Same with the second test.

I watched that first video twice, and in the slo-mo there's a point where you can just tell that if that dummy was a human, he would be dead. The dummy in the Merc is still fumbling with his radio, trying to get the bass just right, while the dummy in the ForTwo is skidding across God's breakfast table.

I actually thought the Yaris was the worst. It crumpled like a cheap tin can, which is exactly what it is.

And hello -- FTL FAIL -- the Camry only got an "Acceptable"....against a crackerbox.

To hell with that, let me see my ETC up against one of those Smart cars or the Fit. The Yaris fared a little better, but it's also heavier and bigger. A 1998 ETC replacing the Merc in that first test . . . . jeez. The Smart's engine would be in the driver's lap, and the driver's teeth would end up as hood ornaments on the Eldo. Same with the second test.

Or against my Brougham. Imagine being in that Smart car and seeing those chrome teeth comin right at ya. That is an "Oh Sh!t" moment.

This series of tests brought to you by Captain Obvious and his merry men, who remind you that the sky is blue and water is wet.

Or against my Brougham. Imagine being in that Smart car and seeing those chrome teeth comin right at ya. That is an "Oh Sh!t" moment.


I'm thinking more....1975 Fleetwood vs. all three at once.

I actually thought the Yaris was the worst. It crumpled like a cheap tin can, which is exactly what it is.

I agree.

Its funny, Toyota built its reputation on small efficient cars, but it makes some of the worst ones on the market today. I'll give the Yaris a tiny, tiny bit of credit. It does slightly better in crash tests than a Kia Rio, but that's not exactly a standard of greatness, and compared to the Rio its more expensive and far, far worse to drive. The Rio is actually kind of fun.

THUMBS DOWN TOYOTA.

I think this is a perfect example of why the government should intervene and force us all to drive small cars with better fuel mileage to protect us because we are all stupid.

Oh wait... I guess that brainwashing-ton is starting to work on me!!
(please note the sarcasm... should be hard to miss)
:lol:

Good to see an honest test at last comparing current cars from the same manufacturers.

It serves the governments purpose to not point out that safety ratings are based on accidents involving vehicles of the same size.

I've had several arguments with friends who say their 5 star rated tiny Renault is safer than the 4 star rated big BMW (or whatever).
They just don't understand the rating system.
In the Euro NCAP ratings cars get more points (and thus stars) for having stuff like seatbelt reminder bongers etc.

Physics is Physics.

In Small car vs Large car you want your family in the large car. End of.

Well DUH!. That's simple physics. That's why a penny really can't damage anything when being dropped from the Empire State Building. No mass

What about a Camry or mercedes vs. a guy on a motorcycle? do we have a vid. of that?

What about a Camry or mercedes vs. a guy on a motorcycle? do we have a vid. of that?

They are out there, its not pretty. The guy on the bike flies off 99% of the time, where he lands is what determines whether or not he lives. If you are wearing the right clothing and a helmet and you hit a car that is low enough for you to fly over and there is nothing else around you will just slide along the pavement and survive. If you hit the side of a van, you're a goner.

Now why would you be watching those videos dirt? :p

You get a sense of enjoyment watching people smash their brains out? :D

I can almost see the next post... Ninja vs. H2!!!

http://www.treehugger.com/car-accident-cyclists-mexico.jpg

PHYSICS. It's a bitch.

Look at the guy in the upper left hand corner -- !!

I cracked up when I saw the Mercedes emblem flipping around in the air too! That was hilarious.

I think it shows AWFUL PR for the Toyota rep to combat the IIHS's test instead of promising to at least look at them for improvement on the vehicle. Kinda shows how much they give a shit, huh?

Give a shit? Toyota? We're talking about the company that avoids issuing recalls for years (like this one (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/12/video-toyota-grilled-over-possible-truck-recall-coverup/)) to maintain their high rating in Consumer Reports.

I cracked up when I saw the Mercedes emblem flipping around in the air too! That was hilarious.If you watch closely on the Camry vs. Yaris collision, you can also see the Toyota sombrero spinning through the air. But it's a lot smaller than the three-pointed-star, so it shows up best on the last view.

I think it shows AWFUL PR for the Toyota rep to combat the IIHS's test instead of promising to at least look at them for improvement on the vehicle. Kinda shows how much they give a shit, huh?I agree; It's a horrible PR move on Toyota's part. But because they're Toyota and a good portion of the car buying public thinks they can do no wrong, they can get away with it. Can you imagine the howls of outrage had somebody at GM made such a dismissive statement?

Um...duh?

And that was against an Accord and a C-Class --- not the largest of vehicles.

Where is the Yaris v. 'Lade test??

I don't even think it would damage the gril. *lol*

I'm going to install a pressure-washer in my trunk so I can wash Yaris drivers off my grille.

I'm going to install a pressure-washer in my trunk so I can wash Yaris drivers off my grille.

yaris drivers are like mustard, the stain nevere really comes out.....

One of the designers at work recently bought a Yaris 5-door. When I showed him the video, his response was "Holy sh*t! That's awful!"

It's his wife's daily driver, so I told him he probably shouldn't show it to her. Ironically, he drives a boxy '76 Volvo wagon, the kind that are built like tanks.

Haha. I argue with people constantly about how unsafe the Smart cars are and they always say "It got good ratings." Now I have something to contradict them with. I always wondered what one would look like after getting close and personal with a Semi.

You will never, ever convince anyone who spent their money on one of those wheeled coffins that they are unsafe. Even if you do, they will never admit it, but I suspect that most of them know it already. They are just playing the odds and the it won't happen to me game. Some will win........ some won't.

One of the designers at work recently bought a Yaris 5-door. When I showed him the video, his response was "Holy sh*t! That's awful!"

It's his wife's daily driver, so I told him he probably shouldn't show it to her. Ironically, he drives a boxy '76 Volvo wagon, the kind that are built like tanks.

I love boxy Volvos....

Micro-boxes FTMFL! :blasted:

I will pay to see a Tata Nano get hit by a Metra train. I'm very serious.

Back to the hypothetical match-ups:

Hummer H1 vs. Corbin Sparrow:
http://mudjayson.xrea.jp/note2/_img/80.jpg
http://www.corbinsparrow.com/db3/00246/corbinsparrow.com/_uimages/corbin.jpg

Damn, !!! Does this mean that my Seville won't survive a head-on crash with a Peterbilt 38,000# rig at 75 mph??? Mother General Motors is supposed to protect me at all cost. If I get killed due to stupidity, I'll sue everybody.

The difference is that 9 out of 10 cars on the road aren't a Peterbilt. On the other hand, 9 out of 10 cars on the road are at least the size of a Camry or C300.

Odds of you hitting a Peterbilt? Slim to none. Odds of you hitting a car at least the size of a Camry? Pretty damn high. :)

I want that hummer, especially if it has the Duramax. :drool:

I love boxy Volvos....Yeah, it's actually pretty cool, in a dorky kind of way.

Yeah, it's actually pretty cool, in a dorky kind of way.

yeah kind of like WEEZER. damn now i want an old volvo! has anyone seen THIS though?

long video but worth the watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86M_fV-1yKY

Hit a 2008 Volvo instead of a 1992 with that econobox and see what happens. 15 years crash technology is ANCIENT in the auto world.

Well DUH!. That's simple physics. That's why a penny really can't damage anything when being dropped from the Empire State Building. No mass

Mass and or velocity. If I take that penny and fire it from a rail gun it will penetrate several bodies. They evacuated the Space Station because of the concern of collision from a small object, not because of it's mass, but due to it traveling 18,000 miles per hour.

I think the only people who buy Smart cars are pretentious dicks trying to show how "progressive" they are.
After all, there ARE cars that get better mileage & can carry 2 people AND a case of beer at same time.:blasted:

And have you ever noticed that it's these microcar drivers who are hurtling along like bats out of hell, weaving through traffic like they're in a NASCAR race? Small wonder so many of these cars look like death warmed over after only a couple years.

I had one pull out in front of me close to midnight on my way home from work not long ago on a rural highway. We both turned left at the next intersection and he must have had the rubber band wound as tight as he could. It appeared that he was rather embarrassed to be driving it and was not going give me reason to pass. He probably had his foot nailed to the floor and he got to 60 (55 zone) as fast as he could (still took him forever). He just wanted to stay in front of me. Since he kept his speed up, I let him stay on point. I should have blon his doors off, but there was just no point. A Moped could have taken him and he knew it.

A Moped could have taken him and he knew it.


ROFL...a moped -- FTW

That's why our '93 Deville daily driver is so perfect. Super reliable, and its fast enough off the line to make those bastards wanna send their little crap box cars back to the dealer. Plus, since its already been totaled twice (and we have 3 more of 'em) if anyone hits it, no one cares. :highfive: