- #3734 of 3820
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Re: Will new IIHS scores change your buying decision? [bobw3]
by germancarfan1
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Dec 20, 2006 (9:05 am)
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Replying to: bobw3 (Dec 20, 2006 8:51 am)
1. Chevy Cavalier hasn't been made for years. And when it was in production, did Chevy claim it to be one of the safest cars in its class? I doubt Chevy made any claims about its safety at all...just was praying people would buy one.
2. Rear impact tests are far less important then front and side impact. The vast majority of cars receive Marginal to Poor rear impact scores, though only few receive both adequate frontal and poor side impact scores.
3. Would you like to enlighten us about what Lexus and the Buick got for front and side impact scores? I didn't think so. )
Hyundai set itself up for failure. It made unsubstantiated claims that the Accent was one of the safest cars in the class and it didn't deliver. No one else is responsible except for Hyundai.
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- #3735 of 3820
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Re: Will new IIHS scores change your buying decision? [backy]
by bobw3
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Dec 20, 2006 (9:06 am)
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Replying to: backy (Dec 20, 2006 8:59 am)
I agree that the safety equipment should all be standard, but to be fair, if people just refused to buy cars without the optional equipment and dealers had a bunch of Yaris/Versa, etc...out there sitting on the lot without ABS or SAB, then maybe the move to make the safety featurs standard would occur quicker. But some people are more concerned with getting the right color over the safety equipment.
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- #3736 of 3820
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Re: Will new IIHS scores change your buying decision? [backy]
by germancarfan1
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Dec 20, 2006 (9:12 am)
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Replying to: backy (Dec 20, 2006 8:59 am)
No problem giving Toyota some knocks, as the Yaris isn't exactly high on my list of cars I would purchase. But then again, I have the Versa, Fit and 2-DR Rabbit as options, cars that safe, stable, made with high quality components (structure anyone?), have better resale value, and don't cost much more than an Accent.
I am curious about 2 things:
1. Anyone think Accent sales will plument after IIHS released these scores? Then again, not that they have been selling all that great anyway.
2. Will the Accent's insurance cost more than before? I'm not sure how insurance companies compute safety into their rates though I do know that a friend who went from a Neon (unsafe car) to a Corolla, saw his rates drop a lot.
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- #3737 of 3820
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Re: Will new IIHS scores change your buying decision? [bobw3]
by backy
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Dec 20, 2006 (9:16 am)
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Replying to: bobw3 (Dec 20, 2006 9:06 am)
Do you really think people would walk away from the Yaris if it cost a few hundred dollars more and came with standard SABs? I don't think so. ("Hmm, this Yaris has a standard safety feature that the Fit, Versa, Accent, and Rio also have. Oh, forget it then! I'm going to buy a different car!!") There was no slack-off of demand for the new Camry that includes standard SABs, was there?
The fact is that Toyota put about as many Yarii with terrible side crash protection on the road as Hyundai put Accents on the road in the past year. It doesn't make Hyundai look any better, but they are not the only irresponsible car company in this situation IMO.
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- #3738 of 3820
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Re: Will new IIHS scores change your buying decision? [germancarfan1]
by backy
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Dec 20, 2006 (9:23 am)
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Replying to: germancarfan1 (Dec 20, 2006 9:12 am)
Re structure: how much more than an Accent (or Yaris) does a Versa weigh? A Rabbit? All that extra steel has its advantages, as has been pointed out by the IIHS.
I don't think the IIHS scores will help the sales of the Accent or Rio any. Big rebates, anyone? I expect there will be some impact on insurance rates, unless insurers already put high risk numbers on the Accent and Rio based on their prior designs--since they had nothing else to go on before now.
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- #3739 of 3820
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Re: Will new IIHS scores change your buying decision? [backy]
by germancarfan1
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Dec 20, 2006 (9:49 am)
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Replying to: backy (Dec 20, 2006 9:23 am)
The Honda fit weighs in at 2432 lbs while the Accent GLS weighs in at 2366, yet the Fit performed very well in the tests. A difference of a mere 66 lbs wasn't the reason the Fit did better, better engineering and use of higher quality components was. Look at the IIHS structure numbers for example. *Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. The intrusion in the Accent stopped a mere 4.0 inches before the center line of the seat compared with 9.5 inches for the Yaris WITHOUT airbags and 7.5 inches for the Fit. Also note the Rabbit/Jetta with 15.5 inches. I wouldn't be suprised if the Accent's structure was indeed made from outmeal 
But what does weight matter anyway if one can buy a a far safer car (albeit a bit heavier) for not much difference in price. Seems to be a good deal since one is getting all that extra steel for not much more dough.
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- #3740 of 3820
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Re: Will new IIHS scores change your buying decision? [germancarfan1]
by backy
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Dec 20, 2006 (10:02 am)
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Replying to: germancarfan1 (Dec 20, 2006 9:49 am)
I think the differences in intrusion were due to structural issues as well as differences in crash space. I would expect the Rabbit is considerably wider than the other cars you mentioned (except maybe the Versa). But still the Accent's intrusion was 3.5-5.5 inches more than cars in its own class. Also, airbags don't help much if any on the degree of intrusion; they are there to keep body parts from hitting the metal that is moving towards them.
Yes, it is possible to buy a heavier car for not much more dough than an Accent or Rio, although there is a penalty to pay in fuel economy, at least with the Rabbit, which is heavier than even the Versa. The Fit in particular, and also the Versa when it comes more readily with ABS, seem to offer the best blend of fuel economy and safety. The Yaris would be right up there too if SABs and ABS were standard as on the Fit, or at least readily available.
At the price of a Rabbit or a Versa SL (more readily available with ABS as of early next year), there are alternatives in the compact and even mid-sized class that offer a good blend of safety and economy also, in particular the Civic. Even some mid-sizers with ABS and SABs, e.g. the Mazda6i and Sonata GLS, are available for around $16k.
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- #3741 of 3820
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Re: Will new IIHS scores change your buying decision? [backy]
by germancarfan1
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Dec 20, 2006 (11:32 am)
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Replying to: backy (Dec 20, 2006 10:02 am)
The 2007 Sonata only received an adequate rating for side-impact and didn't exactly have the best structural integrity (a mere 1.0 inches from centerline of driver's seat). Sounds like another mushy Hyundai structure. No thank you, given the number of cars that received good side-impact ratings and high marks for structural integrity (Passat, Rabbit, Jetta, Camry, Accord, Legacy, etc.)
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- #3742 of 3820
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Re: Will new IIHS scores change your buying decision? [germancarfan1]
by backy
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Dec 20, 2006 (12:13 pm)
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Replying to: germancarfan1 (Dec 20, 2006 11:32 am)
If that less-than-one-inch difference (1 cm vs. 3.5 cm) between the Sonata and Accord is important to you, that's fine. Some of the cars you listed are much better than the Sonata here though. My thinking was that a larger, heavier car would do better than a smaller, lighter car like the Fit or Yaris in a crash, even if the larger car has only an Acceptable rating. And some of these cars don't cost any more than the higher-priced small cars. Of those you listed, the base Rabbit 3-door is available for under $16k. All the others are over $16k, most WAY over. That's why I mentioned the Sonata and Mazda6i mid-sizers, since they can be had now for around $16k.
P.S. Those distances you are talking about are reported by the IIHS in centimeters, not inches.
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- #3743 of 3820
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Re: Will new IIHS scores change your buying decision? [germancarfan1]
by targettuning
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Dec 20, 2006 (12:24 pm)
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Replying to: germancarfan1 (Dec 20, 2006 9:49 am)
Please note these measurements are in centimeters (cm.) Converted to inches they are less dramatic than you would have us believe due to the OATmeal in the Accents structure. In inches then:
1.57 inches for the Accent
2.95 inches for the Fit
3.54 inches for the Yaris
and 6.1 inches for the Rabbit/Jetta that is probably significantly wider than any of the above anyhow. So then the difference between the best and the worst is about 2 inches. Geez that oatmeal again...
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