Topic: VIDEO: Small Overlap Proving To Be Challenge For Minicars

[Autos_Editor]

Out of 11 cars, only the Chevrolet Spark manages a "Good" rating in newest IIHS test

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[Frontier1]

The only surprise here is the Fit.

[Fobroader]

Yeah, thought the Fit would be decent....god, you dont realize the forces in a crash till you see something like a crash test.

[mixmanmash]

Yeah, thought the Fit would be decent....god, you dont realize the forces in a crash till you see something like a crash test.

Yep.  I'm sure the 2015 Fit will fair better.

Honda really is going through their line up and redesign their vehicles to do well in the small overlap test.  They did with the 2014 Odyssey and looking at the IIHS video you can see that the passenger compartment held up really well.

[rrocket]

I still find it funny that people worry so much about this.....

Most of the current cars we all currently own would fail this test (unless you have a 2013 car, perhaps).

Yet we still drive.

Do you really worry about this while you drive?

[Fobroader]

I think mainly if you were buying new it would come into play....but I wouldnt run out and buy a new car. Again, just in case.....

[rrocket]

I think mainly if you were buying new it would come into play....but I wouldnt run out and buy a new car. Again, just in case.....

Even despite the low odds of such a crash occurring?

[Fobroader]

I think mainly if you were buying new it would come into play....but I wouldnt run out and buy a new car. Again, just in case.....

Even despite the low odds of such a crash occurring?

Well, if it came down to two vehicles that you were looking at, this could be a positive for one.....not for me...I put way more things before how many stars a car got in the "what if an amish buggy gets away from its owner and you get a horse through your back door" test that Im sure will be instituted next year sometime.

[Seafoam]

The only surprise here is the Fit.

Not really a surprise since it was the oldest car tested. The 2015 should do better.
I'm surprised how good the Spark did for such a small size.

[johngenx]

I've never been one to take a lot of stock in crash test results.  Back when I was buying German cars, they tended to do well in passive safety and I appreciated the cutting edge safety features, I bought the cars for a lot of reasons ahead of that.

When we bought the Corolla, one thing I did like that the Gen 10 had over Gen 9 was the addition of side curtain and side bags as standard.  Those are decent features to get with a price decrease!!

That said, I climb mountains, ski avalanche terrain, ride motorcycles, drive itty bitty roadsters that weigh 1000 kilos and have NO safety features and couldn't dream about passing any sort of crash tests, and other stuff that puts the "small overlap" test so far down on my list of concerns that it really doesn't register.  I know minicars are probably goig to be less safe than full sized SUVs, and if I wanted one, I'd just live with that.

[mixmanmash]

I still find it funny that people worry so much about this.....

Most of the current cars we all currently own would fail this test (unless you have a 2013 car, perhaps).

Yet we still drive.

Do you really worry about this while you drive?

Oh I agree.  I also think Honda is using it as a marketing tactic as well.  "Look, we passed it where the competition is failing."

These safety tests all test passive safety equipment.  Really the best safety is in paying as much attention as possible and avoiding collisions as far as possible.  But sometimes, it is unavoidable, where these safer vehicles could prevent injury or save one's life.  Take for instance when my car was T-boned.  There was heavy traffic in the west going direction, to the point where it was a parking lot.  I was traveling east.  The other person traveling south had a stop sign.  Since the west bound traffic was so heavy, they avoided blocking intersections.  This person then saw that the west bound traffic wasn't moving and proceeded to cross after stopping.  Problem was, she couldn't see that there was a few cars (myself included) traveling east.  And given the traffic, I couldn't see her crossing until it was too late.  I barely saw it out of the corner of my eye and at that point I braced for impact.  Hit on the driver's side, hard.  Spun around almost 270 degrees.  Luckily, no one was hurt or injured.

However, regarding the small overlap test, I would like to see some statistics:

1. How many collisions were of this type of nature?
2. Out of these types of collisions, how many resulted in injury / death?
3. Out of all injuries / deaths from collisions, how many were a result of small overlap?

It makes me wonder if they are chasing a very small percentage...

I bet my current car would do poorly in all these crash tests... A rusted body certainly doesn't help.

[johngenx]

I know people that obsess over safety ratings and then don't use winter tires.

[mixmanmash]

I know people that obsess over safety ratings and then don't use winter tires.

Lol.  They need to learn a thing or two about prevention.

[rrocket]

I've never been one to take a lot of stock in crash test results.  Back when I was buying German cars, they tended to do well in passive safety and I appreciated the cutting edge safety features, I bought the cars for a lot of reasons ahead of that.

When we bought the Corolla, one thing I did like that the Gen 10 had over Gen 9 was the addition of side curtain and side bags as standard.  Those are decent features to get with a price decrease!!

That said, I climb mountains, ski avalanche terrain, ride motorcycles, drive itty bitty roadsters that weigh 1000 kilos and have NO safety features and couldn't dream about passing any sort of crash tests, and other stuff that puts the "small overlap" test so far down on my list of concerns that it really doesn't register.  I know minicars are probably goig to be less safe than full sized SUVs, and if I wanted one, I'd just live with that.

We are on the same page today...


For example, my GS400 is quite unlikely to pass the crash standard.  Ditto an LS430.  A new micro car could.

I'd still rather drive the GS400 or LS430, because I think ultimately I still have a better chance of surviving a bad wreck in the larger car for most types of common crashes.

[Fobroader]

I know people that obsess over safety ratings and then don't use winter tires.

Now THATS funny....

[Black Hatch]

The main idea is that subcompact cars are worse than compact cars collision wise because of weight.

The preference when a collision is inevitable is to be in the bigger vehicle.

I'm sure Honda is going to look at improving the FIT as some of their vehicles do pass the IIHS small overlap.

[rrocket]

The main idea is that subcompact cars are worse than compact cars collision wise because of weight.

The preference when a collision is inevitable is to be in the bigger vehicle.

I'm sure Honda is going to look at improving the FIT as some of their vehicles do pass the IIHS small overlap.

Yep.  Weight is king.

What about you?  Would you rather drive a Lexus LS430 or GS400 that would fail the test or a subcompact that would pass the test?

[Black Hatch]

The main idea is that subcompact cars are worse than compact cars collision wise because of weight.

The preference when a collision is inevitable is to be in the bigger vehicle.

I'm sure Honda is going to look at improving the FIT as some of their vehicles do pass the IIHS small overlap.

Yep.  Weight is king.

What about you?  Would you rather drive a Lexus LS430 or GS400 that would fail the test or a subcompact that would pass the test?

Depends on situation and irrespective of the crash ratings.
City - sub-compact, easy to maneuver and park
Highway - Lexus for its smooth ride on Hercules tires.

So um on highway rrocket, you still consider that Fit or Echo better than a compact car?

[rrocket]

So um on highway rrocket, you still consider that Fit or Echo better than a compact car?

I was arguing that it's perfectly doable to drive a subcompact on the highway.  And it is.  As I (and others mentioned) cars of just a decade back were probably less competent and likely less safe than these new subcompacts are on the highway.  Obviously as a luxury car owner, I prefer nicer cars to drive.  But having driven my Echo multiple times on the highway, it was no biggie.

And I was asking you about crash worthiness specifically.  Would you rather be in a crash in an LS430 that fails the test, or in a subcompact that passes the test?  My question had zero to do with city parking, smooth ride, etc.

[Black Hatch]

So um on highway rrocket, you still consider that Fit or Echo better than a compact car?

I was arguing that it's perfectly doable to drive a subcompact on the highway.  And it is.  As I (and others mentioned) cars of just a decade back were probably less competent and likely less safe than these new subcompacts are on the highway.  Obviously as a luxury car owner, I prefer nicer cars to drive.  But having driven my Echo multiple times on the highway, it was no biggie.

And I was asking you about crash worthiness specifically.  Would you rather be in a crash in an LS430 that fails the test, or in a subcompact that passes the test?  My question had zero to do with city parking, smooth ride, etc.

Well obviously from the poor ratings of a subcompact is this article I would go with the Lexus LS430.
If you expand to a Civic or Mazda3 that aced the test, I'll go with those over the Lexus.