NHTSA safety test

[Dave777]

Originally Posted by smartSparky

Also not considered, as far as I can tell, is the excellent stability control software and hardware built into every smart. With the side impact safety construction and the ESC it would take a lot of effort to roll this thing. Somehow I doubt that was factored in.

Read the NHTSA rollover explanation and you'll see that indeed it is factored in. The rollover rating is both a mathematical computation and a dynamic stability test. The dynamic test found the car did not "tip." That is likely a result of the ESC.

[a2jack]

http://www.safercar.gov/portal/site/...=Passenger+Car

[Amethyste]

the link is not working for me...

[rfernatt]

First of all, the spin on the NHTSA results is amazing. A Google news search shows these three articles near the top:

Smart Fortwo crash test results a mixed bag MotorTrend Magazine
Smart ranks low on US crash test Detroit Free Press
Smart car aces US crash test despite door opening Reuters

The one thing most of these articles miss is a discussion of how the fortwo compares with its closest competitors. Without an idea of its relative safety compared with its closest peers, the writers are just spinning the results IMO.

Secondly, I wouldn't be surprised if smart issues some type of 'fix' for the door opening problem, if it's more than a fluke. Look at the results of the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer which received a similar warning for the rear door. Mitsu issued a fix and the car was reevaluated with better results. Same kind of thing could happen if it's a real issue.

Overall, I was satisfied with the results. As others have said, no one would argue that a fortwo is the safest car on the road, rather it is very safe for its size. After scanning through the results for 2-door cars (or 4 if a coupe isn't available) like the Focus, Lancer, Aveo, Accent, Cooper, Cobalt, etc., the smart results look to be in line with what you would reasonably expect from a vehicle smaller than these nearest competitors.

Parting thought: If a car that's half the size of a Cobalt should get twice the fuel economy, shouldn't a car twice the size of a fortwo be twice as safe (or at least max out the scale). What!? You mean there aren't any? What kind of pathetic engineering is going into these other cars? A car that big should protect its occupants from small thermonuclear detonations and meteor impacts! ;)

[a2jack]

Originally Posted by Amethyste

the link is not working for me...

I just checked it again, link is OK. When screen comes up click "Home" then type in Year, Make, Etc.

A2Jack.

[stevenvillatoro]

Originally Posted by rfernatt

... no one would argue that a fortwo is the safest car on the road...

Makes me feel like James Dean.

[E-SMART]

that the 'press' interprets for us (NOT) what we can see with our own eyes (in particular Detroit's spin), the smart actually did pretty good, again when compared with small vehicles in general. The safety cell does its job. It's too bad the clip doesn't show what's going on in the inside (to have the pass' side get a three in a head on) but they may have this later. IMHO I think the test results should hopefully be beneficial to those considering this car but time will tell !

[erikdfier]

The crash test results are actually good. The "ACE" the test standard is probably causing negative views.

If anyone was expecting an US industry leading front end collision result when your feet are inches away from impact, well, you maybe delusional.

Anyone expecting an US industry leading rollover rate with a vehicle that is as wide as it is tall, and nearly as long as it is wide, again you could be - delusional.

Read this, feel better and drive safely.
http://www.roadandtravel.com/crashra...verratings.htm
http://www.roadandtravel.com/crashra...erratings2.htm

[anthony94114]

4 and 5 stars is probably better than most cars that our smarts are replacing also. I'd really rather be bragging for higher stars, but it's not terrible.. just unfortunate that the passenger got a lower score. Very odd. I'm still happy about the side impact rating.. (one does want to exit the car after an accident, so that opening door issue seems somewhat virtuous -as long as there aren't multiple impacts). As for roll over** it seems obvious that this car regardless of techy stuff will be at greater risk.. it's tall, narrow. Drive safely.

[vanslam]

I think the Smart did well.

http://www.safercar.gov/portal/site/...CRD&model=7473

As a driver of the car who rarely carries passengers I am happy with the results. And it just missed a 4 start rating on the rollover test.