Prefer Modern 5 star small or Old Large Safe Car?

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: nthach
Originally Posted By: Quest
Don't worry: so long as the general public's mentality RE: safety is tied to "mo bigger car is betta", there's never gonna change the statistics where landyahts rollover or 7000lbs+ cars with shetty gas mileage and soccer moms or bad drivers in it.


Exactly why I think a Prius fares better in a collision than a Hummer/Suburban/Escalade due to "intelligent" design.


Against another Prius maybe? Not against a Hummer/Suburban/Escalade.....

*cue Super Duty vs car pictures from previous thread*

Forgot to state not against each other, the laws of physics will almost always say bigger>smaller, but I what I meant to say is bigger isn't always better. I still say big SUVs and school buses are just as dangerous as an older Honda in a crash or rollover. And that's not saying much - since older Hondas were deathtraps.

 

[PandaBear]

The safest small car is the one with the strongest unibody. I've heard that Subaru WRX has a frame so stiff that it needs a special jaw of life to open up. I'd think it is safer than a poorly engineered SUV or truck of the old days.

My concern is not head on collision, but side impact from someone on a phone running the red light. There is just not enough space to crumble on the side. Small car suffer obviously, but even a large SUV with poorly designed side integrity could be dangerous.

Now comparing a modern large car vs a modern small car with similar safety design in mind, that's a different story.

 

[IndyIan]

What kind of accident are you likely to have? Then you can pick your safest car. I know I'd rather spin off into the ditch of an interstate in a big old car than a new small car. The smaller car is more likely to flip...
For the money, probably a mid to late 90's mercedes s-class is the safest car you can buy. $4-8k, maintenance might be a bit costly, but you can't put a price on safety!

1997 V12 for $9998 Cdn