Video: IIHS crash-testing the Smart ForTwo

By chris #1, Posted: 4/29/2008

looks pretty good to me. no deformation on the passenger cabin, and looks like the door would still open and close. thats a really good sign. but, like the article points out, this is only true if one smart hits another car similarly sized.

By Ivan #2, Posted: 4/29/2008

I am just waiting for someone (maybe some show), to do a head-on collision of smart and Hummer H2 at 50mph. I have this feeling that Hummer won't even slow down and will just plow through this car. I start seeing them on streets, and they are so small, look like bikes on 4 wheels. ATV with body attached to it.

By Raptor #3, Posted: 4/29/2008

If H2 hits your Smart you have Smart Roadster.

By chris #4, Posted: 4/29/2008

well, a little quick math,.. smart = 730 kg,.. H1= 3091 kg, H2=2903kg, and H3 = 2132kg.

if the smart hits any of those cars (in a perfect elastic collision) head on with both doing 50 mph, the following occurs:

for the H1; the H1 will continue going in the same direction at 11 mph, and the smart will bounce back at 111 mph. thats right. the smart goes from 50 mph in one direction to going 111mph in the other direction. (remember, elastic collision; think of two billiard balls hitting each other)

for the H2: the H2 continues on at 10 mph, and the smart bounces back at 109 mph.

for the H3: H3 continues at 1mph and the smart bounces back at 98 mph.

remember, these are all perfectly elastic calculations, so you're talking useless numbers here.. but it's fun to calculate out. also illustrates how much worse crashes would be in a theoretically simple world. lots of design goes into cars to make them NOT do what i just wrote.

By Luc #5, Posted: 4/29/2008

the video has been taken down. :(

By Gus #6, Posted: 4/29/2008

Yeah, I can't see the video either.
But I saw two of them here in Newport Beach today. One was really hauling a**...
What's funny is that there are several of those "Think" golf-cart-type vehicles driving around here as well, and they are huge compared to the little Smart...
Cute car, but arguably not too much safer than a Motorcycle in some situations.
The next time I see one parked I'll take a picture nose to nose with my Mustang. Should be funny.

By Gus #7, Posted: 4/29/2008

Oh, and I forgot to mention that one of the Smarts I saw had WASHINGTON plates! Can you imagine driving one from Washington state all the way to Southern California? Respect...

By Bill #8, Posted: 4/30/2008

There is a great deal of myth regarding the relative safety of cars. Using weight as the be-all and end all of crash safety is a fallacy.

I've seen some NCAP crash tests of pickup trucks at 56kmh that fare considerably worse than small cars at 56kmh. With the pickup truck engine being pushed up into the driver to make the impact unsurvivable.

Check out this youtube video of a tiny Renault Twingo crashing head on into a Volvo 940 Station Wagon (considered one of the safest cars in Europe in the 90's)

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

By Bill #9, Posted: 4/30/2008

F-150 56km/h frontal crash test

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB0araA0T_k


Ford Focus 56km/h frontal crash test

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRqEPiZfR4E


I know which one I'd rather be in. And its not the truck.

By admin #10, Posted: 4/30/2008

Hey Bill - apologies for the delay in posting your comment. Just remember that if you put 2 or more links in a message our anti-spam picks it up, however we will approve it when we get around to reviewing the messages.

Why do we have such strong anti-spam? We get about 3000 spam messages a day...

By Gus #11, Posted: 4/30/2008

Here's something you need to remember, people, and we have to go through this all over again.
A crash against a fixed barrier only shows what a crash against the same exact vehicle will do. A heavier vehicle in that case will have FAR more wieght to contend with.
And an old Volve versus a new small car is not an accurate test either.

THE ONLY ACCURATE TEST IS TO CRASH A SMALL NEW CAR (LIKE THE SMART) INTO AN AVERAGE NEW CAR (LIKE A MID SIZE VOLVO) AND MEASURE BOTH THE INTRUSION AND DECELERATION ON THE DUMMIES. END OF STORY...