In general are Mercedes BMW Audi (Volvo) cars safer than comparable domestic or Japanese cars with regard to crash safety? Not concerned with crash avoidance technology or the like, I realize not being in an accident is the safest. I’m just curious about buying the safest vehicle that I can afford for my family. Thanks.
Are German cars safer than Japanese or American cars?
- Thread starter JamesBond
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edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
They all have to meet safety standards.
That being said, I want vehicle with good active safety, and that means, yeah, I always feel safer in BMW than Toyota I have.
A small piece of information from the distant past.
25 or 30 years ago a man I worked with had lost his parents and his in-laws in separate car accidents. So he spent a lot of time looking at wrecked cars in bone yards. His conclusion was that Mercedes and Volvos stood up better than other cars in crashes. So he and his wife both drove 240 series Volvos.
Now whether your car standing up better in a crash means it is safer is not so clear, but it probably helps.
25 or 30 years ago a man I worked with had lost his parents and his in-laws in separate car accidents. So he spent a lot of time looking at wrecked cars in bone yards. His conclusion was that Mercedes and Volvos stood up better than other cars in crashes. So he and his wife both drove 240 series Volvos.
Now whether your car standing up better in a crash means it is safer is not so clear, but it probably helps.
There are a lot of variables that come into play in the survivability of an accident. I've seen a destroyed Mazda CX5 that had no casualties resulting from the accident. I wish that I had taken a picture of it, you wouldn't believe it.
Modern cars, for all of their faults, are far safer than any older car, regardless of manufacturer.
Modern cars, for all of their faults, are far safer than any older car, regardless of manufacturer.
I'm convinced that my BMW saved my butt one day because it handled so well.
I was driving about 70 - 80 km/hr in the outer of two lanes when I came up to a traffic light. My light was green. Just as I got there a car blundered into the intersection from the side and blocked my whole lane. I only looked where I wanted to go, didn't slow down, didn't touch the brakes but I made a snap lane change, didn't lose control, and didn't go off the 40' embankment that awaited me if I had overshot. Because I only looked where I wanted to go, I never saw the driver and have no idea what kind of car it was - except to say that it was big.
It was nice to have a car that handled that well in an emergency - a '00 BMW 528i with the M-Sport package (M5 wheels with sticky wide tires, heavier torsion bars than for the regular 5-series, and a 3-spoke steering wheel).
I was driving about 70 - 80 km/hr in the outer of two lanes when I came up to a traffic light. My light was green. Just as I got there a car blundered into the intersection from the side and blocked my whole lane. I only looked where I wanted to go, didn't slow down, didn't touch the brakes but I made a snap lane change, didn't lose control, and didn't go off the 40' embankment that awaited me if I had overshot. Because I only looked where I wanted to go, I never saw the driver and have no idea what kind of car it was - except to say that it was big.
It was nice to have a car that handled that well in an emergency - a '00 BMW 528i with the M-Sport package (M5 wheels with sticky wide tires, heavier torsion bars than for the regular 5-series, and a 3-spoke steering wheel).
As others have said, most cars you can buy in America have to follow strict safety regulations.
Having said that, it is up to the owner to make sure tires, brakes, etc are in good condition and working order.
Having said that, it is up to the owner to make sure tires, brakes, etc are in good condition and working order.
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Passive protection is what brings you to avoid the accident, like handling and so on (case in point above).
Active protection is what protects you after it hits the fan.
It's not news anymore, but shell-wise - the Tesla Model S apparently broke NTHSA's roof-crushing machine during the tests. Not advocating for one, just saying that they are all good, once you take the elefant in the room out.
And the elefant in the room is that cars are rated within their own category, and then size and weight steal the show.
I still remember decades ago when some Dunning Krugerite in the photo forum ardently boasted how the Suzuki Kizashi is the safest car to be in because it got at the top of its class. To my question whether he'd prefer to be in the Suzuki or in an (not top of its safety class) Cadillac Escalade or a long wheelbase Tahoe in a head-on crash, his smug answer was - of course, in the Suzuki. It has more stars.
I didn't persevere
However, all other things being equal - always think apples for apples. A BMW 5 series is a huge car in Europe. It's a small one here.
Active protection is what protects you after it hits the fan.
It's not news anymore, but shell-wise - the Tesla Model S apparently broke NTHSA's roof-crushing machine during the tests. Not advocating for one, just saying that they are all good, once you take the elefant in the room out.
And the elefant in the room is that cars are rated within their own category, and then size and weight steal the show.
I still remember decades ago when some Dunning Krugerite in the photo forum ardently boasted how the Suzuki Kizashi is the safest car to be in because it got at the top of its class. To my question whether he'd prefer to be in the Suzuki or in an (not top of its safety class) Cadillac Escalade or a long wheelbase Tahoe in a head-on crash, his smug answer was - of course, in the Suzuki. It has more stars.
I didn't persevere
However, all other things being equal - always think apples for apples. A BMW 5 series is a huge car in Europe. It's a small one here.
When I think safety I think Mercedes Benz. They pretty much invented or perfected every modern safety feature found in modern cars.
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Saab is spinning in their grave and Volvo is not far behind.
When I think safety I think SAAB, real tanks. It is a real shame they are gone.
I know after hitting a deer in my old diesel Passat years ago that VW is very fussy about crumple zones. There was a TINY wrinkle in the side of the hood metal but VW insisted it be replaced which it was. They told the insurance company that it was part of the safety system in an accident and even a tiny wrinkle could make the hood not protect as well in a crash.
Years ago, Volvo was leaps and bounds above the rest in crash safety. I don't know if that holds true today. Of course, Volvo was a Swedish company back then.
With today's SUV/Truck craze, coupled with the huge number of transport category trucks, driving any car is a risk. Short of riding a motorcycle, while driving a car, you are quite simply the smallest, lowest and lightest class of vehicle on the roadway.
Last year's crash with a dump truck opened my eyes on that one. My wife survived, albeit seriously injured, because her F150 was big and tall enough.
Last year's crash with a dump truck opened my eyes on that one. My wife survived, albeit seriously injured, because her F150 was big and tall enough.
Thanks for that
I had more confidence in the capabilities of the Audi compared to the Honda Pilot, especially handling and shear acceleration and braking. Both are highly rated in crash testing.
Beat me to it!
MB did have some safety early like airbags but they pretty much didn't change much until later on.
Right, Volvo was beating MB on certain crash tests years before they caught up. Volvo would Woop SAAB though but my statement is not a fair comparison since SAAB went under long time ago. 2009?
German for sure--they spend more time in the shop than on the road, which greatly reduces risk of accident.
I tend to think that what might be perceived as "big" differences today are really in the weeds. Yes the IIHS offset testing probably matters, so each year the vehicles have to get that much better: but they all seem to be competing on this front, so no one is really slacking. Only when shopping used, and very used, would I think too much about it (like, should I get ABS or curtain airbags? if you are shopping that old, then yes--but new or nearly new, they're all pretty similar now, JMHO).
As you say, not being in an accident is best. So don't overlook proper tires for the weather, and driving for the conditions, and not driving while distracted, which seem to be the big causes of accidents in the first place.
I tend to think that what might be perceived as "big" differences today are really in the weeds. Yes the IIHS offset testing probably matters, so each year the vehicles have to get that much better: but they all seem to be competing on this front, so no one is really slacking. Only when shopping used, and very used, would I think too much about it (like, should I get ABS or curtain airbags? if you are shopping that old, then yes--but new or nearly new, they're all pretty similar now, JMHO).
As you say, not being in an accident is best. So don't overlook proper tires for the weather, and driving for the conditions, and not driving while distracted, which seem to be the big causes of accidents in the first place.
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