Smart Car Crash Results Far From Stellar

brightredmtn · Apr 4, 2008

http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/03/autos/smart_crash_test/index.htm?postversion=2008040317

Anyone surprised? Would the increased gas mileage make it worth the risk?

This morning I was driving behind a meter maid in a traditional one seater car. I couldn't help but think how hazardous it could be to have that job!

scatterbunny · Apr 4, 2008

I guess my thinking is, for a car THAT small, the scores aren't as bad as I would have expected. The only one that really concerns me is the 3 star rating for the passenger protection.

southpawboston · Apr 4, 2008

well here are my thoughts:

it got 4 star for straight frontal driver, and 3 star for straight frontal passenger. for a single commuter with no passenger, this may not be so bad.

it got 5 star for side impact-- pretty damn good.

it got 3 star for rollover resistance-- worse than any other passenger car (note: does NOT include trucks/SUVs) tested, with a 21% rollover risk. this is despite having ESC standard. it makes you wonder how bad it would perform without ESC.

considering that it only gets 41mpg hwy, i think a "smarter" (pun intended), safer, and much more fun choice would be the MINI cooper. :twocents:

Morganthe · Apr 4, 2008

While that doesn't affect the score, a "door opening during a side impact crash increases the likelihood of occupant ejection," the agency noted.

Get the door fixed and that would seem to help

I don't think the US market NEEDS the Smart car. It's more of a curiousity than anything. :shrug-shoulders:

Our cities & parking spots are measured out to be considerably larger than in much of the rest of the world. Hard to envision, but even a Mini in some European cities could be considered too large

I saw Smarts stashed in Motorcycle spots in Rome that were the only open footage in the whole block. Pretty amazing.

I don't think I"d be too concerned about rollover in the city street setting. It would be more likely to have a truck drive up and over instead. I doubt that anything would prevent cabin incursion for that situation.

southpawboston · Apr 4, 2008

Morganthe said:
Our cities & parking spots are measured out to be considerably larger than in much of the rest of the world.

well, maybe newer cities, but not old ones. the smart car definitely would get top scores where i live for being able to parallel park in spots too short for any other car. and when you live in a neighborhood where you are faced with not finding spots for blocks, that figures hugely. :twocents: that's why the MINI is extremely popular here.

An Aurora · Apr 4, 2008

Have you seen that video where they run the Smart car into the concrete median at 70 mph? And then they do the same with a compact car.

shellebelle · Apr 4, 2008

Not worth the risk, IMO. 99% of my driving is on the freeway at high speeds so any crashes would likely be significant. I'm already getting the same gas mileage on my Civic and I have three extra seats and room to haul junk around on the weekend. Plus, if I were to get one (and I was tentatively considering putting it on my list) I'd have to buy a new car when I had kids AND I'd never be able to drive when I had company. With gas prices now, that's not a bad thing, but I like to play chauffeur now and then. Pending seeing them in real life, my next car will probably be an '09 or '10 Fit.

Only 3 stars is crazy when it's essentially being crashed into itself. What in the US is the same size? Nothing else, really. I'd hate to see it have a run in with a huge SUV. Another issue is its visibility--I can see other drivers having problems because it's short enough to nestle right into their blind spots. The tippyness is expected because of its design, bigger wheels mounted higher may help, but that's not a retrofittable item.

scatterbunny · Apr 4, 2008

Most of my driving (90%, easily) is less than 8 miles, round-trip, around town at speeds of 45mph or less, usually 25-35mph. I'd actually love one of these for all of that driving, and to use the Windstar for highway driving. I've been considering trading my van for a small car, anyway, for the gas reasons.

Smart Car Crash Results Far From Stellar

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