VeeshanVault

Boogahz wrote:You would have to test every car against every other car made then. How do you know that Car A will crumple in the same place as Car H in an impact with Car B? Heck, what about Car K, where will it crumple, and where will it resist doing so when it impacts your car?

Sure, if you decide to run head first into a brick wall then the tests are pretty conclusive, but that's rarely the case.

Crash tests rarely (because it would be way to costly) take into consideration, angles of impact, varying speeds of not only the tested car, but the object it's hitting, using car vs car instead of a wall or whatever they use, the sizes of cars that could hit the car, etc. that happen in almost every real life crash.

Boogahz wrote:I was supporting your point Miir. I just didn't hit quote on the previous post which I was addressing.

miir wrote:Do you think that they crash a single car?

Lynks wrote:

miir wrote:Do you think that they crash a single car?

To add to that, I can't remember where I heard/read this but car companies, when they release a new year/model, have to donate around 30 cars for these crash tests. A lot of testing is done.

miir wrote:

Sure, if you decide to run head first into a brick wall then the tests are pretty conclusive, but that's rarely the case.

Name another type of accident (aside form head on and t-bone) that will cause more potential damage to a car and it's occupants.

miir wrote:

Crash tests rarely (because it would be way to costly) take into consideration, angles of impact, varying speeds of not only the tested car, but the object it's hitting, using car vs car instead of a wall or whatever they use, the sizes of cars that could hit the car, etc. that happen in almost every real life crash.

Do you think that they crash a single car?


They actually test at different speeds and angles.

But as for crashing a vehicle into another vehicle...
Do you understand the concept of worst case scenarios?
Why would they crash a car into another car when they can simulate a more severe impact by crashing it into a solid block of concrete? A car hitting a solid, unyielding object will be required to absorb the full force of the impact. With a car hitting another car, the impact of the crash is distributed between the two vehicles. The results would be about as accurate as crashing a car into a block of jello.

Winnow wrote:Add another mini car to the list. This one isn't as close to production as the Smart Car though

Aslanna wrote:

Winnow wrote:Add another mini car to the list. This one isn't as close to production as the Smart Car though

The Smart has been in production for years so probably not!

Tiny Smart car gets crash test kudos
The Smart ForTwo earns the top rating for front and side impact protection in crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The ultra-tiny Smart ForTwo earned top marks in side and front crash tests, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said Wednesday. The two-seat car did not earn the Institute's Top Safety Pick designation, however, because it didn't earn top marks for whiplash protection.

But even if the ForTwo improved its whiplash protection, it would not be named a Top Safety Pick, said IIHS spokesman Russ Rader. The institute does not have a specific size requirement, but the ForTwo is simply too small to be considered safe under all conditions, including highway driving, he said

Smart would not comment on the IIHS's decision regarding the car's eligibility to be a Top Safety Pick.

The ForTwo, which is about three feet shorter and 700 pounds lighter than a Mini Cooper, earned the best possible rating of "Good" for front and side impact protection in tests by the IIHS, a private group funded by insurance companies.

The ForTwo received an "Acceptable" rating, which is the second best possible, for whiplash protection in rear impacts. Technically, that would prevent it from getting a "Top Safety Pick" from the IIHS.

The ForTwo is the smallest car the IIHS has ever tested. "All things being equal in safety, bigger and heavier is always better," said institute president Adrian Lund in an statement. "But among the smallest cars, the engineers at Smart did their homework and designed a high level of safety into a very small package."

The ForTwo, which the IIHS classifies as a "microcar," has very little crush space in its short front end. The institute credits the car's seatbelts and airbags with helping minimize crash forces on the occupants. The crash test dummy's head hit the steering wheel through the airbag during the front crash test, but the impact wasn't hard enough to affect the final rating, said spokesman Rader.

"The IIHS frontal crash test is conducted at a higher speed than required by federal safety standards, and it's an offset test that replicates most real-world crashes. The smart's sophisticated safety management system performed as designed," said Smart's Schembri.

A different kind of test
The federal government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted different crash tests, whose results were released in April and showed some weak points.

In the NHTSA front crash test, the ForTwo earned the top rating of "Five Stars" for driver protection, but just "Three Stars" for passenger protection. Few vehicles today get ratings as low as three stars in NHTSA's front crash tests.

The IIHS uses a different type of front crash test and does not place a crash test dummy in the passenger seat. While NHTSA tests vehicles by crashing them straight into an immovable barrier, the institute crashes vehicles into a deformable barrier so that just part of the vehicle's front end strikes it.

Results from front impact crash tests, no matter how they are conducted, cannot be compared between cars of different sizes. In a real-world front crash, occupants in a smaller vehicle would experience greater crash forces when hitting a larger vehicle going in the opposite direction.

The Smart ForTwo earned the best possible ratings in side impact tests conducted by both NHTSA and IIHS, but in both cases, the door became unlatched during the crash tests. While that didn't affect the final score in either case, it's not ideal, said IIHS's Lund.

Smart is a product of Germany's Daimler (DAI) (DAI), which also makes Mercedes-Benz luxury cars.

the ForTwo is simply too small to be considered safe under all conditions, including highway driving

"All things being equal in safety, bigger and heavier is always better,"

The crash test dummy's head hit the steering wheel through the airbag during the front crash test, but the impact wasn't hard enough to affect the final rating, said spokesman Rader.

In the NHTSA front crash test, the ForTwo earned the top rating of "Five Stars" for driver protection, but just "Three Stars" for passenger protection. Few vehicles today get ratings as low as three stars in NHTSA's front crash tests.
The IIHS uses a different type of front crash test and does not place a crash test dummy in the passenger seat.

Fash wrote:Choice quotes which re-enforce the opinion stated by several members:

the ForTwo is simply too small to be considered safe under all conditions, including highway driving

"All things being equal in safety, bigger and heavier is always better,"

The crash test dummy's head hit the steering wheel through the airbag during the front crash test, but the impact wasn't hard enough to affect the final rating, said spokesman Rader.

In the NHTSA front crash test, the ForTwo earned the top rating of "Five Stars" for driver protection, but just "Three Stars" for passenger protection. Few vehicles today get ratings as low as three stars in NHTSA's front crash tests.
The IIHS uses a different type of front crash test and does not place a crash test dummy in the passenger seat.

Looks pretty good for someone who doesn't drive much or someone who stays off the highways, but I wouldn't drive one.

Funkmasterr wrote:Well it sounds like the crash test ratings on this one aren't as good as the smart car, however I maintain my stance on this topic. There is no fucking way I would feel safe in one of these matchbox cars, ever.

Boogahz wrote:

Funkmasterr wrote:Well it sounds like the crash test ratings on this one aren't as good as the smart car, however I maintain my stance on this topic. There is no fucking way I would feel safe in one of these matchbox cars, ever.

The ForTwo IS a Smart car.

Winnow wrote:Another electric car option!

http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/06/10/tra ... neo-smera/

seems a little expensive though unlike the original Smart Car I posted on this thread.

Funkmasterr wrote:I'm going to buy a motorcycle.. I'd still feel better on that than in one of these. Hopefully I can afford to buy a used bike soon, cause I'm sick of spending 300+ dollars a month on gas.

Aslanna wrote:

Funkmasterr wrote:I'm going to buy a motorcycle.. I'd still feel better on that than in one of these. Hopefully I can afford to buy a used bike soon, cause I'm sick of spending 300+ dollars a month on gas.

So you're saying you'd honestly feel safer on a motorcycle than in a Smart Car? Seriously? Wow... Well in that case I hope you've filled out your organ donor card. Make sure to drive extra fast in the rain. There's people out there than probably need them more than you.

Aslanna wrote:

Funkmasterr wrote:I'm going to buy a motorcycle.. I'd still feel better on that than in one of these. Hopefully I can afford to buy a used bike soon, cause I'm sick of spending 300+ dollars a month on gas.

So you're saying you'd honestly feel safer on a motorcycle than in a Smart Car? Seriously? Wow... Well in that case I hope you've filled out your organ donor card. Make sure to drive extra fast in the rain. There's people out there than probably need them more than you.

I'd be in a Fit before you could say "sm" if I had to choose. What, mpg of 33/40 compared to 27/33, big deal.

miir wrote:

I'd be in a Fit before you could say "sm" if I had to choose. What, mpg of 33/40 compared to 27/33, big deal.

I'd say 20% better gas mileage is a pretty big deal.
Depending on your driving habits, you could save more than $50 a month.

Funk says he spends 300+ a month in his g35 so a Smart would probably save him close to $125/month... $1500/year.

miir wrote:A stupid choice for an only car.
The best choice for a commuter car.

The smart fortwo has a rear storage area that can accommodate active lifestyles. Surprisingly, the fortwo has 8 cubic feet of storage space – 12 feet if you load up to the roof line. This area can easily fit numerous bags of groceries, gym bags and other items that are commonly transported every day, including golf clubs! The rear storage area can also accommodate many sizes of luggage making trips to the airport convenient.

The front passenger seat also folds down creating additional space for other items such as skis.

miir wrote:Uhhh, I'm goin off the gas mileage numbers that you listed in your post.

33/40 is roughly 20% better than 27/40.
If you spend $200-300 a month on gas driving a Fit, you'd save $50 by driving a Smart



Who the hell is talking about utilty?
The Smart is a commuter car... hell you can't even fit a set of golf clubs in the back.
A stupid choice for an only car.
The best choice for a commuter car.

Chidoro wrote: I'm pretty sure I read that the smart requires premium fuel which defintely eats into that advantage.

I'm pretty sure I read that the smart requires premium fuel which defintely eats into that advantage.

I've read that the car feels unsteady at highway speeds

It's acceleration is awful so getting on and off ramps is supposedly nerveracking.

Better yet, get a civic hybrid or a Prius. More expensive, sure,

miir wrote:I'm not basing my opinions on what I have read on the internet.
I'm basing my opinions on driving one of them over the course of a couple of months last fall and early this summer.

I'm pretty sure I read that the smart requires premium fuel which defintely eats into that advantage.

It doesn't.

I've read that the car feels unsteady at highway speeds

It doesn't.

It's acceleration is awful so getting on and off ramps is supposedly nerveracking.

0-60 in around 12 seconds. Nothing nervewracking about it... but then again, I also drove in the 80s when a 10 second 0-60 time was considered pretty good.

If you want to bitch about anything, bitch about the gearbox on the Smart which is right fucking awful.
Or bitch about how noisy the thing is. At highway speeds it's near deafening.

Better yet, get a civic hybrid or a Prius. More expensive, sure,

They aren't just more expensive, the are twice as expensive.
You cant compare a 12k car to a 24k car.

Aardor wrote:

Chidoro wrote: I'm pretty sure I read that the smart requires premium fuel which defintely eats into that advantage.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/features ... tions.html

The version w/ the air conditioning lists at $14,235. no options, just the passiosn version that provides the AC. Civic hybrid $23,270 not $28,470.

And besides, if you're that much of a fucking chisler that cost of a vehicle in combination to the gas charges bugs you, purchase a used something or ride motorcycle.

Fairweather Pure wrote:Smart Car is a people mover, nothing more. For many people, that's all they require. I drove a 2 seater for 7 years and never once regretted it. Of course, that thing had a large trunk and I was single

In less than 5 years, I'm betting these things will be common all over the country. With a basic model costing less than 12k, I don't see anything near as economical. I read a report expressing dissappointment when comparing the Smart Car to a Prius because the Prius gets almost the same milage, yet offers 5 passanger seating and more room in general. They neglet to mention that a Prius starts out 10k more than a Smart Car. I think the Smart car has decent storage for it's size. You can a place golf clubs in it

miir wrote:

The version w/ the air conditioning lists at $14,235. no options, just the passiosn version that provides the AC. Civic hybrid $23,270 not $28,470.

The base price for a Smart Four Two is $12,190.00
Not $14,235
That's with A/C
Price one here: http://www.smartusa.com/

The base price of the Civic Hybrid is $23,270

That's pretty freakin close (91%) to being double the price.

And besides, if you're that much of a fucking chisler that cost of a vehicle in combination to the gas charges bugs you, purchase a used something or ride motorcycle.

Way to completely miss the point.

You can't name a single vehicle that is as economical in terms of initial price and operating costs that has the flexibility and utility of a Smart.

The car fills a niche.
A niche that is a lot fucking bigger than you realise.

As fast as Americans have soured on big SUVs, I think they will warm up to mico urban commuters like the Smart.

$14,235 is the best price in my area. 2-door passion coupe. And since you feel like throwing the numbers around, 63.4%.

your point is that if you are going to be a chisler about money, buying a used car doesn't fill that niche you think the smart is going to take up? fuel efficient used cars are the hot ticket now. Why would someone buy a fucking smart that get nominal upgrades in fuel economy while giving up so much and not save that $6k buying a 2002 civic or corolla?

But a civic can be a family car and a commuter car just like the prius or any number of smaller cars that are sold here.

miir wrote:

$14,235 is the best price in my area. 2-door passion coupe. And since you feel like throwing the numbers around, 63.4%.

The Passion is not the base model.
Apples to Oranges.

your point is that if you are going to be a chisler about money, buying a used car doesn't fill that niche you think the smart is going to take up? fuel efficient used cars are the hot ticket now. Why would someone buy a fucking smart that get nominal upgrades in fuel economy while giving up so much and not save that $6k buying a 2002 civic or corolla?

What the hell is a chisler anyway?
The best I could figure is a chisler being a con artist.

I'm not sure how you can consider a 25-35% increase in fuel economy to be nominal.

And in the Toronto area, you'll find a 2002 Corolla for 9-12k.. a Civic will run you 11-14k. Even in the states a 2002 Civic in decent condition and under 100k miles will run you close to 10k.

You can drive a Smart off the lot for $14,900... that's not including the 2k government rebate.

I'm not even going to bring up the obvious reliability and warranty advantages of the Smart.

But a civic can be a family car and a commuter car just like the prius or any number of smaller cars that are sold here.