Comments on: New small cars widen safety choice for buyers

By: Stevothedevo

Stevothedevo — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:50:23 +0000

I hear they’re not the only Korean bombs we should be worried about.

By: Disturb

Disturb — Sat, 30 May 2009 11:56:25 +0000

5 star is just too easy for the car maker now! The goverment should rise the standard.

By: Realcars

Realcars — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:16:02 +0000

It’s all academic really for as long as the government lets high riding four wheel drives share the road with ridged chassis and anvil style bullbars no number of stars will save u in your average sedan.

By: Realcars

Realcars — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:07:39 +0000

Pretty simple really. How much does the Volvo cost compared to the Soul?

I mean Volvo can afford to go the extra yards because they charge more and cutting edge safety innovation also makes up part of their brand value.

By: DesignEngr

DesignEngr — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:48:52 +0000

Tony,
I would have thought that there was a strong chance of a serious injury if you crashed your dad’s Mercedes C class.
Not neccessarily from the crash though……

By: Shane

Shane — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:37:15 +0000

The NCAP ratings and all the others like it take into account a set of crashes at certain angles, speed etc that may happen in a crash. The unfortunate thing is that these type of crashes as per the parameters set on those tests rarely happen in the real world. The fact is that there are so many variables that can and do affect a crash situation that no simulation can mimic. Any car manufacturer that sets out purely to meet a 5 star NCAP rating is really just doing the minimum and anyone who thinks that just because their car has a 5 star crash rating it is a “safe” car is just living in a fools paradise.

The major euro manufacturers such as Mercedes, VW and BMW don’t just design cars to meet the minimum standard they set out to genuinely design their cars to be as safe as possible and I don’t think anyone can say that about a korean car regardless of its NCAP rating.

By: Tony

Tony — Fri, 29 May 2009 03:20:15 +0000

There is some truth in the fact that they want to review the NCAP rating system.

The fact of the matter is every car walks out with a 5 star rating.

This is in my opinion, wrong. Does everyone who goes to school get a 99.9 TER?

That’s what this implies. It’s become a happy star award for manfacturers.

They should move to a system like American credit scores where a good car gets 750/1000 and where it is impossible to get a perfect score.

Your question about whether a 5 star Mercedes A class is better than a 5 star Kia is valid but in my mind that’s more one of brand perception.

You cannot make a rating system that makes all parties happy and is completely transparent.

I am pretty certain that if I crash my dad’s Mercedes C class I am assured of a similar survivabilty to a Kia Soul.

The best you can do is look at videos and crash reports of the two cars and make up your own mind.

Deep down I probably doubt the Holden Commodore is the same as Mercedes E class but if you’ve done all the research there’s little more you can do.

By: Pious

Pious — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:53:05 +0000

I wouldnt necessarily reject what Shane says out of hand, even though I dont know whether it is right or wrong. My missus has an s40 volvo (5 star). I would be infinitely happier crashing in that, than a Kia Soul. It goes well beyond the minimum 5 star requirements eg intrusion bars to roof, not door sills, key in centre so less risk of leg injury, the list goes on and on. I might be wrong, but I would expect that the prospect of walking away after being t-boned would be significantly better in the volvo.

Then again, I might be completely wrong!

By: Tony

Tony — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:28:44 +0000

Shane, reading your nonsensical rant against korean cars reminds me of this famous quote:

“Mr. Shane, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”

The Kia Soul for example has achieved a 5 star NCAP. It passes the minimum standard that all cars should achieve in 2009.

Unless you can show me any scientific evidence that a Korean car that passes NCAP 5 is demonstrably unsafer than a comparably sized Japanese or American or European or Australian NCAP 5 car everyone will just have to assume that you are indeed a ‘Billy Madison’ on this site.

I’ll give you a good example. Unlike the Holden Cruze the Kia Ceed was designed in Germany by Germans, crashed in Germany and made in Eastern Europe. Is it designed to meet a ‘minimum standard’ because it’s got a Korean badge?

It is any more European than the supposedly European designed Cruze?

By: Shane

Shane — Fri, 29 May 2009 01:30:21 +0000

Korean cars a designed & built to meet a minimum standard. They are not designed to genuinely be a safe car for the sake of being safe like most of the European cars

By: Frontman

Frontman — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:29:13 +0000

Okay Reckless I can see where your thoughts on prejudice being displayed come from, but stupidity?? Please explain why you think that? If it purely on the Bais against Korea yes I agree, however if it is against the findings then I don’t understand

By: Reckless1

Reckless1 — Thu, 28 May 2009 09:43:03 +0000

Prejudice and stupidity are displayed in abundance yet again……..

By: Shane

Shane — Thu, 28 May 2009 06:15:16 +0000

I dont care what the ratings say, I wouldnt want to be in any Korean car in a smash.

By: Pious

Pious — Thu, 28 May 2009 04:58:51 +0000

My understanding is that a large 4WD is generally safer coming into a collision with a smaller car. In particular, the smaller car occupants can suffer because the 4WD comes in over the top of side intrusion bars in the doors, where it is T-boned (volvo have the bars going to the roof, I think, to avoid this, but it gives visibility issues). I think though, that where there are two large 4WD having a collision, the rigid chassis means that the risk of injury is exponentially increased, to almost a certainty – eg the classic “irresistable force v. immovable object” scenario – in particular for the drivers. Or I might be completely wrong!

By: Shak

Shak — Thu, 28 May 2009 03:56:18 +0000

This rating system is very wrong. In a collision the bigger car would sustain less damage because of Newtons third law. The tests are done with deformable concrete barriers thereby making the car a giant shock absorber. Whereas in a real life situation both cars would transfer energy into each other and because the larger car is carrying more energy it would damage the smaller car a bit more.

By: DesignEngr

DesignEngr — Thu, 28 May 2009 03:42:45 +0000

ScottT,
Sorry to dissapoint you, but you are just regurgitating GM advertorial. What I wrote is correct.

The Cruze is Daewoo engineered. So what if a few Daewoo engineers went to Germany to finish off some things that they couldn’t get done in Korea.

It’s engineered by GM Daewoo, principally in Korea!

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 28 May 2009 03:13:40 +0000

I agree Frontman, I would rather be in a Ford Bronco than an i20 too, there are so many more compelling reasons!

And Confused, you’re right about the Lancer however it is only a 4 star safety car at base level unless the $850 side and curtain airbags box is ticked. Really, when you think about it $850 is a relatively minor amount to spend to have 5 star safety.

By: ScottT

ScottT — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:45:28 +0000

No DesignEngr your wrong the new Cruze is a GM joint effort between Chev and Opel, its only built in a Daewoo factory

DesignEngr Says:
May 28th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Speedy Says:
May 27th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Yes, the Koreans are coming, the Koreans are coming !

“..Holden are about to launch the 5-star, German engineered Cruze..”

That would be the Daewoo engineered Cruze. So what if a few Daewoo engineers went to Germany to finish off some things that they couldn’t get done in Korea.

It’s engineered by GM Daewoo, principally in Korea!

By: Frenchie

Frenchie — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:10:00 +0000

I would not like to be a passanger of that Jazz in the photo above. So what you survived the crash because of its five star rating, the injuries sustained in the accident are probably just horrific.

By: Frontman

Frontman — Thu, 28 May 2009 01:42:50 +0000

Captain & Confused, in answer to your questions (beliefs) about Large 4wd’s, can I draw your attention to the U.S. Crash lab photo above where an Accord isqtr fronting a Fits (Jazz in Aussie lingo) (Google small car versus medium crash test). Interesting article that shows that if you have two cars, in this case both 5*, there is a huge difference in the damage sustained between the small and medium. The Smart 4two did a 360 mid air spin effectively across two other lanes of traffic after hitting the C class Merc! Having watched that, I would rather be in a Non rated Ford Bronco than a five star I20 in an accident every day of the week.
As for the vehicles rolling over etc, that is not an error of the vehicle, that is the monkey behind the wheel.
Don’t take me wrong, I am not against the NCAP, I just wish they were to look at vehicle handling and crash avoidance as a much higher priority than crashworthiness. Newtons law cannot be overcome with some kevlar pillows and fancy seats.