How safe is an s2 ?

[QuattroFever]

the windscreen angle prob. Works in our favour keeping the cabin in shape that and the way the engine sits with the box mounted would prob send alot of shock around u.

The show was fifth gear.

[dest]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3ygYUYia9I

[Evilgoat76]

Point about solidity taken but the S2 will deform.

Thing is the deformation does need to stop. Look how much bonnet you have to crumple on an S2 compared to a Smart. At high speed you've probobly got a longer amount of time before impact is transferred to the passenger on a larger car simply because of the size. On a smart, youre into the saftey cell almost instantly.

I realise I'm wandering off track here and leaning more to small vs big I have a deep loathing of small cars having been cut out of a Metro AND a Micra, in both cases I was just sat still minding my own business. Metro lost about 4 foot due to being hit by a biddy in a volvo. Micra just sort of splatted after being hit by a van, again, at lights. In their defence, I cracked a tooth trying to eat the metros sterring wheel but that was pretty much it for both.

Fifth gear have flogged a few tests or gone for odd comparisons. ISTR A performance test with a URS1 Vs An Evo, they seem surpised the evo won.

The Dogey landy test was one of theirs.

As I beleive was some other one where they tried two older cars against eachother.

TG May be full of rubbish, but its funny rubbish And the G-Wiz test was just that.

Mythbusters also did two artics VS I think some small honda, that was pretty spectacular.

Edit: I didnt realise that the Volve vs Renault was also an oblique impact too. Pretty suer the S2 would do better and I suspect there was a reason behind using the 740. The older 240 has chassis rails in those locations, it would have torn the renault to bits. The newer volvos would have faired better because of the aformentioned features. They did the same with the disco, aimed it in such a way to miss the chassis rails and all the big mounting hardware.

[s2driveruk]

the s2 has crumple zones and a rigid steel passenger safety cell, with procon ten and side impact protection. I know i said it was hewn from granite....i meant that its not paper thin like some cars I can think of What i meant was that someone had actually thought a bit more about it than maybe they were 'supposed' to at that time. That doesnt translate into a 5 star ncap rating or anything and thats not what i am getting at.

At the time would you rather have been in a peugeot 205 or an audi coupe when someone hit...

Anyway, the reason cars are safer these days, especially the smaller ones is....they've got massively bigger! As a result you sit further from the door and further away from the front window too, of course it will be safe than comparitive named models from years back

[Keeper of The Kitten]

Contrary to popular belief, larger cars tend to be the ones that fold up most - partly because they have large expanses of relatively flat panels that exhibit less rigidity, and partly because the crumple zones are simply designed that way because they are larger and more of the energy can be dissipated with no damage to the rigid safety cell area.

Smaller cars simply don't have that luxury and the energy has to be dissipated in a shorter distance, hence peak g loads are frequently rather high (as referred to in the Smart crash test mentioned above).

I think I've said it before, but personally I'd rather they were carrying my body away from an S2 than I was walking away from a Smart...

[GazzaG60]

seems rather foolish - be dead or walk from a car you dont like?

[andy10v]

I would rather walk away from the s2 than be dead from the deceleration forces in a smart.

Yes the S2 will deform, however as long as the passenger cell is not compromised then all the deformation is energy that is not going through your body and therefore good in my opinion.

Whilst the s2 is not as good safety wise as a modern equivalent they are still pretty good.

[spink]

In their day the b3/b4 80 was considered to be the safest in its class apparently.

Also the c4 100/a6 came off best in its class against merc/renault/volvo etc

Volvo were reknown for 'fixing' their crash tests in commercials etc

[Keeper of The Kitten]

seems rather foolish - be dead or walk from a car you dont like?

I always walk away from cars I don't like

[sam80quattro]

my 80q was wrote off by a clio, rear quarter and boot folded up, said clio needed a new headlight

[benntenn67]

There is only one way to prove this (s2 vs modern small car) so is anybody going to donate their s2 for a crash test?

[QuattroFever]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3ygYUYia9I

Bingo, thats the one

6.20 the center of the modus is only 1/3 across the front of the volvo...or is it just me?
i'd like to have seen that same test as a head on. The back of the volvo looks like it wants to keep going and fold up

Seems like the modus just ploughs through the volvo like its made of tin! Completeley not what you expect.

a french lightweight -----> scandinavians what say ye?

[FeaRThiS]

Audi 80 Crash Test Not exactly a s2 but I would have thought they would react similar in a crash. If I had to be in a crash I would much rather be in my coupe has anyone seen how the small cars crumple at 30mph so 30+30=60mph there wouldnt be any car left

[Tobs 1]

Last year I nudged a mk4 Golf at a roundabout (5-10mph max). My 96 coupe v6 required a straightened out chassis plate (bit that bumper bolts onto), new bumper, head light, indicator, fog light, and a fair few quid straightening out the bonnet plus a respray.
The Golf had a slight scuff on the rear bumper