Smart car crash

Interceptor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s

This is a great ad for the safety of a Smart car - you need broadband for this video its hooojjjj. I'm still not sure I want to crash one though...

'cptr

colm_mcm

Fortunately most Smart cars never reach 70mph.

testicle

Never seen a roadster then?

colm_mcm

they're testing the ForTwo. not a great advert for Smart, as anyone in the car would have died. the car doesn't crumple enough during impact to slow the car down, more importantly, the fact that the car comes to such an abrupt stop would kill the occupents even if every panel in the car remained intact.

I can see how this would help it in impacts with larger cars.

smarty

colm_mcm wrote:

Fortunately most Smart cars never reach 70mph.

I drive a brabus roadster coupe ... I had it it on the track a while ago and it went a lot more than 70mph!

I have seen a few other crash tests involving the smart for two and it came off surprisingly well. I saw one where it crashed head on into an e class mercedes and, although it ended up on its roof, the crash test dummies didn't have a scratch on them!

smarty

colm_mcm wrote:

they're testing the ForTwo. not a great advert for Smart, as anyone in the car would have died. the car doesn't crumple enough during impact to slow the car down, more importantly, the fact that the car comes to such an abrupt stop would kill the occupents even if every panel in the car remained intact.

I can see how this would help it in impacts with larger cars.

70 mph to 0 in under a second. I don't think it matters what car you are in, you are pretty screwed? The occupants of the Vauxhall tested on that video would probably also have died. How would a larger car, such as a Ford Mondeo, fair in a similar test?

colm_mcm

yeah, but they're relying on the other cars large crumple zones as a cushion. what would happen if two Smart cars hit each other head on? you saw what happens when it hits something hard...

Don't know if it was fair to compare it with a 93 model Corsa. I'd imagine more modern supperminis would fare better.

MrSinn

what did we learn here today kids??we learned that smark car can take an impact of 70mph,but you will still die! Die smart

smarty

colm_mcm wrote:

yeah, but they're relying on the other cars large crumple zones as a cushion. what would happen if two Smart cars hit each other head on? you saw what happens when it hits something hard...

Don't know if it was fair to compare it with a 93 model Corsa. I'd imagine more modern supperminis would fare better.

That corsa has three NCAP stars too, so it looks like a fair comparison.

Some of the newer small cars get four stars, but the 2000 Citroen Saxo gets two stars and the 2000 Fiat Seicento gets just one star.

Looking at the driver front impact images below, the smart seems to fair better than the others.

2000 Citroen Saxo Driver Front Impact


2000 Fiat Seicento Driver Front Impact


2000 Smart car Driver Front Impact


99 Open Corsa Driver Front Impact


(Images taken from the euroncap site).

colm_mcm

yeah, but the Citroen Saxo was based on the Peugeot 106, which was introduced in 1991. and the Seicento was based on the Cinquecento, also released in 1991. so it's hardly a fair comparison. The Smart car's main safety innovation is the safety cell. a comparison with the best of conventional safety technology is then appropriate, rather than the some of least safe cars the 90's had to offer

Tipsy Mac

Would be interesting to see how it would react with a collision with an SUV.

bennyx_o

Thats the older City Coupe model they tested. And, tbh, I don't think it faired too badly. If you crash into a wall at 70mph, no matter what car you're in, I'd imagine your chances of survival are pretty slim. A Smart Car isn't going to have all the crumple zones of a normal car because it's half the size of one. And yes, I do drive a Smart.

Interceptor

I drove a ForFour at 160kph on an Autobahn recently. Awful, awful, horrid little annoying plastic consumer-durable transport pod. I broke the gearbox sprinting it away from traffic lights and gave it back to Avis with blue brake discs and a sickening smell of burnt clutch. Spiteful rubbish. I'd love a spin in a Brabus coupe though - anyone? No?

'cptr

unkel

bennyx_o wrote:

Thats the older City Coupe model they tested. And, tbh, I don't think it faired too badly. If you crash into a wall at 70mph, no matter what car you're in, I'd imagine your chances of survival are pretty slim

Agree there. The g-forces would be too much for the brain (let alone for any other organs) to survive. Impressed that the doors of the tiny smart still opened though

Alkers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02eghIfyHP0

alias no.9

colm_mcm wrote:

yeah, but the Citroen Saxo was based on the Peugeot 106,

Which in turn was based on the citroen AX launched in 1987.

BrianD3

I think the manufactuers of the Smart should be commended for producing a vehicle which has virtually no crumple zone yet is still fairly safe. Imagine if conventional cars which have a few feet of bonnet to crumple also had a passenger compartment as strong as the Smart's. I'd imagine that this would result in a major improvement in road fatalities across Europe.

It is true that the Smarts occupants may experience very high deceleration in a crash. But from what I've read the human body can withstand a car coming to a very sudden stop if the restraint systems in the vehicle are well designed. Eg in the 50s NASA did experiments where they strapped monkeys and humans to rocket powered sleds set them going and brought them to a very sudden stop. They then studied the effects on the "occupants" of the sleds. Admittedly, they were strapped in much better than they would be in a car, it was a more controlled environment, the human subjects used had way above average fitness and health etc. But it shows what can be achived in ideal conditions.

delly

Simona1986 wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02eghIfyHP0

What a waste of a good car..........pity about the Merc as well

bennyx_o

Interceptor wrote:

I'd love a spin in a Brabus coupe though - anyone? No?

smarty drives one. If you'd have been nicer about Smarts maybe he'd have given you a go in his.

Oh and heres a link of a Smart against an E-Class
http://www.whnet.com/4x4/Smart_crashtest.html

Bartonprince

Interceptor wrote:

I drove a ForFour at 160kph on an Autobahn recently. Awful, awful, horrid little annoying plastic consumer-durable transport pod. I broke the gearbox sprinting it away from traffic lights and gave it back to Avis with blue brake discs and a sickening smell of burnt clutch. Spiteful rubbish. I'd love a spin in a Brabus coupe though - anyone? No?

'cptr

My friend has one, it is Rapid....

Anan1

Bartonprince wrote:

My friend has one, it is Rapid....

As in Skoda Rapid?

Zeuz

Lucky I drive a left handed Smart fortwo, so hopfully if i ever do hit some thing i will be more of a passenger then a driver considering i am on the other side, and hopfuly i wont come to a dead stop XD