Debate Yaris vs. Smart Car Please help!

[supmet]

Nobody bothered to mention the smart car is a death trap?? weird

[Sirius-XM]

Originally Posted by supmet

Nobody bothered to mention the smart car is a death trap?? weird

It's actually not. The Smart is built around a safety cage that absorbs the impact of the crash. I have seen some (Mercedes sponsored) crash videos and it held up remarkable well. One thing it has going for it is less weight means less inertia. Of course, that won't help if your caught between two SUVs

[supmet]

Originally Posted by Sirius-XM

I have seen some (Mercedes sponsored) crash videos and it held up remarkable well.

IT holding up well is what you don't want in most serious accidents. If that was the goal everything would still be solid steel. Crumple zones are necessary to absorb the impact - the smart, and I'm sad to say, the IQ as well, are just too small to have proper crumple zones. Either solid objects(cars, walls, etc) will enter the cabin, or you'll hit lethal forces on deceleration. There is no magic way around this. Barring ablative car armor or honeycomb aluminum, the yaris is about as small as you can get and have a good chance of surviving ALL types of highway crashes.

[Sirius-XM]

From the Smart website

"The smart fortwo meets or exceeds all federal government crash test standards, including a 5-star side crash rating, and the highest scores for front and side crashes from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety."

"Te highlight of the safety management system is the tridion safety cell. The safety cell is made from steel, half of which is high-strength material, especially in highly stressed areas. The cell is designed to keep occupants protected. The reinforced steel and the design of the car, including the wheel bases, allow the distribution of the crash energy."

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