Latest IIHS Small Car Crash Tests: Not So Good

Maybe you've already heard, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has performed its latest round of crash tests, this time on mini cars. The results were not so good. The organization crashed the Chevrolet Spark, Mazda2, Kia Rio, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta, Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Versa sedan, Toyota Prius c, Hyundai Accent, Fiat 500, and Honda Fit. The cars are ranted either Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor. The only car to get an Acceptable rating? The Chevrolet Spark. Both the Fiat 500 and Honda Fit got Poor ratings. Shortly after these tests results were announced, Consumer Reports magazine, the bastion for all things rated, dropped the Honda Fit's "Recommended" rating.

"Small, lightweight vehicles have an inherent safety disadvantage," says Joe Nolan, IIHS senior vice president for vehicle research. And in other news, fire declared hot; water determined wet. Sky also blue. More at 11:00.

Don't get me wrong: I am all for increasing safety in cars. I think we need to keep pushing the limits because, frankly, I don't think the automakers would do it on their own. But the problem I see with this is it basically says you need to own a big, heavy automobile to be safe. Quick—everyone run to your huge cars, SUVs, and trucks! Your small cars are death traps! But then again, maybe those big "cars" aren't safe enough. Maybe a Peterbilt or Freightliner semi tractor would be better. I mean, they're the biggest thing on the road. And if it's bigger, it's got to be better. Then again, maybe we can all find used armored cars to be really safe. Can we make a tank road legal?

I'm willing to be that today's crop of small cars is orders of magnitude safer than small cars from 10 years ago. And those small cars were likely much safer than cars from 10 years before that. Again, I'm all for increasing safety in vehicles. But Joe Q. Public sees these results and thinks small cars = suicide machines.

Will the IIHS's results have an effect on subcompact sales? I don't think it'll have a negative effect. It might help continue the Chevrolet Spark's unexpected sale success, though. To be honest, I don't think we'll see a blip in sales. Why? I drive a small cars because I want to. But many (most?) people buy them because they're generally less expensive than larger cars, so therefore, those sales will continue as they always have. Some people truly don't have the cash for anything else.

We've made so much progress in terms of safety in the last 20 years, especially when it comes to small cars. It's obvious that smaller cars are at a disadvantage in crashes; it's a liability most of us understand, and many of us live with. Hey, motorcycles are inherently "dangerous" too, right? But that's a risk people are willing to take as well. I'd hate to see small cars decline in sales due to these tests. Hopefully the public will apply some common sense to these tests and realize that even the worst of the ratings these days are still much better than older cars. I'll tell you what: I'm not going to stop buying small cars because of these tests. Sure, I'll take a look at the ratings, but these ratings will not scare me away from driving small. Here's the full ratings chart.

Fiat 500 gets three-star overall crash rating from NHSTA

The folks at the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently crash tested the 2012 Fiat 500. Unfortunately, the car only got a three-star rating overall. The frontal score netted four stars, as did the rollover test. The side-impact score, however, only got two stars. This means the Fiat 500 joins the ranks of the Dodge Caliber and Ford Escape in the three-star club.

Above is the video from the side-impact test. Below, is a photo of the front-impact test.

Toyota Urban Cruiser (aka Scion xD) gets low score in Euro NCAP saftey test

Toyota's Urban Cruiser, aka the Scion xD in the U.S. (albiet, without the all-wheel-drive and diesel option), was recently tested in the Euro NCAP safety test. Unfortunately, the vehicle did not do so hot compared to many of the other cars tested, netting only a three-star rating, compared to all of the other cars' four- or five-star ratings. The reason? A low "Adult Occupant Protection" score of 58%.

Toyota responded by saying it was surprised by the result, since the vehicle was designed to achieve a five-star Euro NCAP rating. Toyota is investigating the matter.

The lower rating came when the vehicle struck the "pole side impact" test. Toyota says, "We remain fully convinced that Urban Cruiser is a safe car."

The other vehicles tested included:

BMW X1 – Five stars
Chevrolet Cruze – Five stars
Chevrolet Spark – Four stars
Citroen DS – Five stars
Infiniti FX – Five stars
Mazda 3 – Five stars
Mercedes-Benz E-Class – Five stars
Vauxhall Astra – Five stars
Peugeot 5008 – Five stars
Toyota Urban Cruiser – Three stars
Volkswagen Scirocco – Five stars

SOURCE
WHATCAR.com

IIHS says small car bumpers are expensive to fix

The insurance-industry-funded Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) performed low-speed bumper collisions on seven vehicles including the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Smart ForTwo, MINI Cooper, and Chevrolet Aveo. Five of the seven cars received "poor" ratings; the Chevrolet garnered "marginal" rating, while the Smart got an "acceptable" rating.

So how expensive are these bumpers to fix? See the table below.

	Rating	Front full	Front corner	Rear full	Rear corner	WEIGHTED AVERAGE
Smart Fortwo	ACCEPTABLE	$1,480	$663	$631	$507	$899
Chevrolet Aveo	MARGINAL	$1,071	$1,437	$1,370	$612	$1,155
Mini Cooper	POOR	$2,291	$2,637	$929	$743	$1,637
Toyota Yaris	POOR	$1,688	$1,167	$3,345	$474	$1,951
Honda Fit	POOR	$1,124	$1,216	$3,648	$999	$1,960
Hyundai Accent	POOR	$3,476	$839	$2,057	$831	$2,123
Kia Rio	POOR	$3,701	$1,758	$3,148	$773	$2,705

The IIHS says, "Better bumpers don't have to be complicated. Auto manufacturers already know how to make good ones. Longer and taller reinforcement bars and energy-absorbing material are key to reducing damage in low-speed collisions."

I think they're thinking something more akin to the bumper on the Toyota van above.

For a complete lineup of photos and the full press release, click the links ... and don't hit anything on your way there. It'll be expensive.

LINKS
FULL PRESS RELEASE: Mini and microcar bumpers allow pricey damage (IIHS)
IIHS: Small Cars Are Big On Damage In Low-Speed Collisions (Jalopnik)

VIDEO: Kia Soul scores high in Euro crash tests

Score another mark for Korean automaker Kia. The new Soul has scored very well in the European NCAP crash tests. The Soul garnered a five-star overall rating by the NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme). The Soul has not been tested by the NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) in the U.S. yet, but it should do well.

A full rundown of the tests can be found in the link below.

LINK
Euro NCAP: Kia Soul
KiaSoul.com

Motor Trend's take on the IIHS crash tests

Motor Trend magazine has written an opinion piece regarding the recent small-car crash tests performed by the IIHS.

Entitled, "Weight, Weight, Don't Tell Me ... IIHS Wants the 55 Back," the MT blogger makes some pointed remarks about the IIHS and how he believes all they want is more money in their pockets. I particularly like the last paragraph:

Yes, our highways would be safer if we removed anything smaller than a midsize car, and larger than a half-ton pickup, too. Buses and semis included. Of course, IIHS doesn't expect that to happen -- it doesn't want that to happen. It simply wants to make sure that the money you save by buying a small, fuel-efficient car goes into the pockets of your auto insurance company.

Yes, I'm biased, but I think it's a good read, and spot on.

LINK
Weight, Weight, Don't Tell Me ... IIHS Wants 55 Back (Motor Trend)

Crash Test Tuesday: Subcompact Saftey—IIHS gives 'poor' rating to Honda, Toyota, Smart

Crash Test Tuesday: Which is safer—Older big cars or newer small cars?

Since the IIHS has stirred the pot with its small car crash tests today, I hereby designate today Crash Test Tuesday.

I came across the above video while browsing comments on Autoblog today. It's a pretty interesting comparison about which is safer: An older, larger car (in this case, without airbags) or a newer, small car with airbags, crumple zones, etc. In this case the subjects are a European-spec Volvo 940 wagon and a Renault Modus. The video speaks for itself.

Small car saves life

Small cars are often still perceived as unsafe. However, with new technologies and new engineering, small cars are safer than ever. Don't believe me? Check out the story on Gas2.org about how the author's Toyota Yaris saved his life.

Do you have a story about how your small car saved your life? Post about it in the comments section.

LINKS
Are Tyny, Gas-Saving Cars Unsafe? Today Mine Saved My Life (Gas2.org)
IIHS Yaris Crash Test Results (IIHS.org)

Another definition of "subcompact"

It was pointed out to me from a member of www.focaljet.com that the National Highway Traffic Saftey Administration (NHTSA) has a definition of cars based on wheelbase for crash testing purposes.

Cars
Subcompact ... less than 100 " WB
Compact........100 to 104"
Mid-sized......105 to 109"
Full size......more than 109"

Vans
Mini-van...... Unibody frame
Large Van......Body on frame

SUVs
Mid-sized......WB greater than 88 " and width 66-75 "
Full sized.....WB greater than 88" and width >75"

Pickups
Compact .......less than 4500lbs
Full Size......more than 4500lbs

In addition, I found they also classify cars based on weight:

Passenger cars mini (PC/Mi) (1,500-1,999 lbs. curb weight)
Passenger cars light (PC/L) (2,000-2,499 lbs. curb weight)
Passenger cars compact (PC/C) (2,500-2,999 lbs. curb weight)
Passenger cars medium (PC/Me) (3,000-3,499 lbs. curb weight)
Passenger cars heavy (PC/H) (3,500 lbs. and over curb weight.)

The full discussion on Focaljet of "what is a hatchback/wagon" and "what is a subcompact car" can be found here.

Smart crash test = good!

The Insurance Institute for Highway Saftey (IIHS) tested the little Smart ForTwo, and proved many naysayers wrong by earning a "good" rating (aka the second highest). See -- small cars can be safe!

Press Release
IIHS's Smart ForTwo Crash Test