Don't buy this car...!

[xUKHCx]

And people are buying them because "they are cheaper" :s The problem is that to get a Toyota, Chevrolet or Ford there is a waiting list of 3 to 6 months despite you will have to pay some money under the table to get it faster.

The crash test mean nothing here, there are not highway patrol in Venezuela, not alcohol controls, no actual speed limit. So you will end up like the video no matter the car you are driving.

I'd rather be in a 5 star car than that piecce of junk, makes the difference between being dead in a 40Mph crash and having slightly sore sides.

 

[iGav]

I was just looking through lots of crash tests and found that one and was so shocked as i know someone who has that car.

It was a common affliction to many american cars designed and manufactured up until the early '00's, mainly the result of poor crash testing procedures (though I honestly didn't expect a company like Ford to continue selling death traps as late as '04, especially considering their safety reputation here).

I think one of the major contributory factors to U.S. cars not taking off here was the Chrysler Voyager debacle back in the '90's, considered a very safe car in the states, it compressed like an accordion once Euro NCAP got their hands on it, a result that pretty much killed U.S. car manufacturers attempts at selling cars here for a decade.

Even now, as far as I understand, modifications are made to the interiors of some U.S. cars on sale here, because of the potential IRA like efficiency they could have in knee-capping you in the event of smash.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Did NCAP miss out on this one?

US and European crash test standards are different, but I've yet to see convincing evidence that one is better than the other. Every time the Europeans decry an American car's crashworthiness, the Americans respond by discovering that a European car is below average, like this BMW 5-Series (beaten by a Kia, of all things!).

 

[iGav]

Every time the Europeans decry an American car's crashworthiness, the Americans respond by discovering that a European car is below average, like this BMW 5-Series (beaten by a Kia, of all things!).

Not surprising, the 5 Series flunked a 5 Star rating on the NCAP as well, but it's generally regarded that it was due to testing anomalies, as appears is the case in this test as well. But the problem with the 5 Series isn't its structural strength.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

...Which isn't to take anything away from Kia's 5 star result, though I wouldn't be caught dead in one.

 

[Sun Baked]

Not surprising, the 5 Series flunked a 5 Star rating on the NCAP as well, but it's generally regarded that it was due to testing anomalies, as appears is the case in this test as well. But the problem with the 5 Series isn't its structural strength.

The Insurance Institute doesn't follow Federal Guidelines, but is looked at a little more by the consumers.

BMW and Ford may argue that is was a fluke that their 4/5-star cars folded in crash tests, but Kia and others immediately make changes instead of writing a letter.

Cannot really say the Insurance Institute's testing is all bad, since they have led to safer cars. Which cannot really be said about the Federal testing.

---

Now if they can do something about those silly repair bills at 5-mph, even the Insurance Institute testing hasn't helped with those these days.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Unsurprising considering the age of the underlying design, it'd likely fair better on a head-on impact test (which it would've been designed to exceed) rather than an offset impact.

That said, it's not just Chinese cars that fold, according to a comment the Ford F150 in this test, was still on sale as late as 2004.

2001 Ford F150.

Car companies, or at least European/Japanese ones have made huge strides in vehicle safety since the introduction of NCAP, I remember 5th Gear doing a crash test between a current and a 10 year old Renault Espace... the difference in survivability is frightening considering the relatively small space of time between the designs.

Well Ford did fix the F-150. Compare the new design to the old one. I am not sure what they did, but the results are VERY different.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LkAzt_0qIg

 

[zephead]

The only thing I could think of when I saw that clip: Holy crap.

 

[Thomas Veil]

Same here. Worst crash test I've ever seen.

I know crash test results are ranked from no stars to 5 stars. I think I'd give this one a -5 stars.

 

[iGav]

...Which isn't to take anything away from Kia's 5 star result

Not at all.

though I wouldn't be caught dead in one.

Well judging by its crash rating, you'd have to try awfully hard to do that.

Though... if you do crash a BMW, it's likely because you were having too much fun, if you crash a Kia, it's probably because you were trying to drive with your face in the passenger footwell so you wouldn't be recognised, but I bet Kia have been thoughtful enough to provide an airbag down there to cover that eventuality.

The Insurance Institute doesn't follow Federal Guidelines, but is looked at a little more by the consumers.

The IIHS tests are certainly comparable to the Euro/Japanese/Australian NCAP procedures, both of which are far more stringent than the U.S.'s official safety body.

And there lies the problem in the U.S., the official agency responsible for car safety is the one with the less fastidious safety standards, resulting in, and allowing such abominations as the Chrysler Voyager, the Ford F-150 (and many others) to remain on sale for as long as they did in an inherently unsafe guise.

BMW and Ford may argue that is was a fluke that their 4/5-star cars folded in crash tests,

I think it's unfair to claim that the 5 Series folded in this particular test, if anything it backed up the claims that the 5 Series is a massively strong car structurally speaking, though potentially to the detriment of those inside during a specific set of circumstances during an accident.

Such minor discrepancies as these in crash test performance can be easily attributed to something as minor as the material used on the seats, or the type of design of seat for example, and indeed it would appear that something as minor as this (an armrest) has caused the discrepancy in this case. The BMW performed marginally worse than the other cars, a margin that was close enough to be potentially erased in another test on a another day.

I think it's fair to claim that the Ford folded though. Though it puzzles as to why they were prepared to continue selling such a poor performing vehicle for such a long period of time without modifications.

Certainly from a european prospective, Ford (Europe) have long commanded a reputation for dedication to safety, they were the first manufacturer to fit as standard A.B.S. to a model range (Granada), and I believe they were amongst the first (if not the first) to employ computer-aided design in the design and development of crumple zones (Sierra).

Indeed, their current european range are considered amongst the safest, comparable to Volvo.

but Kia and others immediately make changes instead of writing a letter.

Kia are in most respects no different from any other manufacturer. In this test their model performed well.

However, that does not extend to their other models, certainly in Europe their cars should be considered at best as only average (4 stars) and often far below what should be realistically accepted from a modern car (2-3 stars). Not to mention the overall poor safety for child occupants and pedestrians.

Cannot really say the Insurance Institute's testing is all bad, since they have led to safer cars. Which cannot really be said about the Federal testing.

Cannot indeed, the IIHS testing is very much inline with almost all of the rest of the developed world, unfortunately that is not enough when you're not the official agency responsible for implementing car safety standards nationally.

Thankfully, many of the manufacturers are now designing cars to meet and exceed IIHS testing, and not merely to fudge their way through the NHTSA ones, and that is a good thing.

I think one of the major contributory factors to U.S. cars not taking off here was the Chrysler Voyager debacle back in the '90's, considered a very safe car in the states, it compressed like an accordion once Euro NCAP got their hands on it, a result that pretty much killed U.S. car manufacturers attempts at selling cars here for a decade.

Here's what Euro NCAP had to say about the Voyager.

Comments
The Voyager did so badly in the frontal impact that it earned no points, making it the worst of the group by some margin. The body structure became unstable and the steering column was driven back into the driver's chest and head. The Voyager acquitted itself better in the side-impact test, but there was still a fair risk of the driver injuring his abdomen. Chrysler chose the child restraints used in the tests, but the company makes no set recommendations to buyers. Euro NCAP believes it is the manufacturer's responsibility to provide proper restraint for every occupant and is surprised that Chrysler do not recommend a child seat for the Voyager.

Front impact
The steering wheel and air bag were forced upwards and into the driver's face, hitting his head hard and putting strain on his neck. The driver's chest also hit the steering wheel, increasing risk of injury. His knees were poorly protected too, and the chances of him injuring his left thigh were very high. The footwell spilt open and his lower legs and feet were poorly protected. The passenger also ran a considerable risk of chest injury.

 

[whooleytoo]

Heh.. the Chery. It probably was called the "Cherokee" before the crash!

It's probably just designed to be collapsible for easy parking. Beijing is pretty over-crowded.

Does anyone know what speed this impact was at? I must have missed it.

 

[xUKHCx]

Heh.. the Chery. It probably was called the "Cherokee" before the crash!

It's probably just designed to be collapsible for easy parking. Beijing is pretty over-crowded.

Does anyone know what speed this impact was at? I must have missed it.

As it is an NCAP test the crash would've been at 40 MPH.

If you want to find out more about the testing procedures have a read over at the NCAP site, this link will take you to the frontal crash test page

 

[cube]

They are selling thos Chery in Caracas

Fast forward some years:

https://www.latinncap.com/en/results