Crash Test results

paulagoodfellow · 09-01-2007, 08:49 PM

I'm about to bid farewell to my ten year old Sienna minivan, and am considering what car to get next. Right now, I'm wavering between the Camry Hybrid and the Prius. I probably would have bought a Prius this morning, except for the four star rating for front crashes. I like the Prius better for price, and for the configuration of the cargo area. The Camry Hybrid trunk is just not big enough. I have one kid at home still, and need to be able to haul theatre props for a couple of activities he's in. The Prius cargo area seems like it will be better, although still probably not as good as I'd like. (I'm also considering a Chevrolet HHR, just because of the carrying space, but the Chevrolet reputation has about got that deal killed.) My questions-- any chance that the 2008 Prius will be a higher crash rating? Am I worrying too much about the difference between five stars and four? I do that teenager, who'll be in southern California traffic with SUVs, so I worry about that. Any other thoughts about Prius safety? Why isn't it as good as the Camry?

David Beale · 09-01-2007, 09:06 PM

Generally, the latest designed cars have the best crash ratings. They learn from each design. The current Prius was design frozen in 2003, so it will be better than cars earlier than that. It appears to do very well in real world collisions, from what I've seen so far. Perhaps doing a search on crash records would tell more.

The new design (whenever it actually does come out) will be among the best. Because it will be new and the engineers will have learned more on how to improve it. The current designs are focusing on rear end collisions and force reduction in those. They may feel they have taken frontal impact force reduction close to its' limit accounting for practical limits (weight, size, cost). There are also new standards for rear end collisions to be met.

paulagoodfellow · 09-01-2007, 11:27 PM

Thank you. I notice that the older Prius, 2005, I think it was, had 5 stars for driver frontal crash test results-- so this is essentially the same body? I wonder why the difference in results. I think that the recent improvement in side crash results is from the side curtain airbags, and this article made me feel somewhat better, except for the results in rear impacts:
http://tinyurl.com/2knqgn
Of course, I found that I am currently driving a car with even worse rear impact results than the Prius.

I need to do some more research on the star rating system I think. Thank you!

qbee42 · 09-01-2007, 11:38 PM

The Prius has rated well in front and side crashes. It rated slightly lower in the rear end crash do to the head restraints. It does so well that I consider it's crash ratings a non-issue.

Tom

David Beale · 09-02-2007, 11:53 AM

The current body is the same as the 2004, perhaps with some minor improvements. The rating changes are due to the way the vehicles are rated. It's a comparative rating system. Compared to other equivalent cars Prius ratings will drop, as some of them are newer designs. Doesn't mean the Prius is getting worse. As I said above, there may be small improvements done to the Prius superstructure, so the current unit may be slightly better than the 2004, but it will still be worse than a completely new design.

As Tom said, it's still pretty good. Now that the side impact bags are standard, it's probably even better.

Do keep in mind that it's a 3000 lb car, and against a 5000 lb SUV it will not do well, though it may protect its' passengers better than the SUV. As a previous owner of an SUV, I've seen this several times in tests, and been shocked. You'd think a big heavy vehicle would be safe no matter what, but you'd be wrong.

09-01-2007, 09:06 PM	#2
David Beale Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Edmonton Alberta Posts: 1,556 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: B Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Generally, the latest designed cars have the best crash ratings. They learn from each design. The current Prius was design frozen in 2003, so it will be better than cars earlier than that. It appears to do very well in real world collisions, from what I've seen so far. Perhaps doing a search on crash records would tell more. The new design (whenever it actually does come out) will be among the best. Because it will be new and the engineers will have learned more on how to improve it. The current designs are focusing on rear end collisions and force reduction in those. They may feel they have taken frontal impact force reduction close to its' limit accounting for practical limits (weight, size, cost). There are also new standards for rear end collisions to be met. __________________ Edmonton Alberta "Pearl" is a 2007 Driftwood Pearl Prius.

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09-01-2007, 08:49 PM	#1
paulagoodfellow Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 13 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I'm about to bid farewell to my ten year old Sienna minivan, and am considering what car to get next. Right now, I'm wavering between the Camry Hybrid and the Prius. I probably would have bought a Prius this morning, except for the four star rating for front crashes. I like the Prius better for price, and for the configuration of the cargo area. The Camry Hybrid trunk is just not big enough. I have one kid at home still, and need to be able to haul theatre props for a couple of activities he's in. The Prius cargo area seems like it will be better, although still probably not as good as I'd like. (I'm also considering a Chevrolet HHR, just because of the carrying space, but the Chevrolet reputation has about got that deal killed.) My questions-- any chance that the 2008 Prius will be a higher crash rating? Am I worrying too much about the difference between five stars and four? I do that teenager, who'll be in southern California traffic with SUVs, so I worry about that. Any other thoughts about Prius safety? Why isn't it as good as the Camry?

09-01-2007, 11:27 PM	#3
paulagoodfellow Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 13 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Thank you. I notice that the older Prius, 2005, I think it was, had 5 stars for driver frontal crash test results-- so this is essentially the same body? I wonder why the difference in results. I think that the recent improvement in side crash results is from the side curtain airbags, and this article made me feel somewhat better, except for the results in rear impacts: http://tinyurl.com/2knqgn Of course, I found that I am currently driving a car with even worse rear impact results than the Prius. I need to do some more research on the star rating system I think. Thank you!

09-01-2007, 11:38 PM	#4
qbee42 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 5,691 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #7 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 6	The Prius has rated well in front and side crashes. It rated slightly lower in the rear end crash do to the head restraints. It does so well that I consider it's crash ratings a non-issue. Tom

09-02-2007, 11:53 AM	#5
David Beale Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Edmonton Alberta Posts: 1,556 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: B Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	The current body is the same as the 2004, perhaps with some minor improvements. The rating changes are due to the way the vehicles are rated. It's a comparative rating system. Compared to other equivalent cars Prius ratings will drop, as some of them are newer designs. Doesn't mean the Prius is getting worse. As I said above, there may be small improvements done to the Prius superstructure, so the current unit may be slightly better than the 2004, but it will still be worse than a completely new design. As Tom said, it's still pretty good. Now that the side impact bags are standard, it's probably even better. Do keep in mind that it's a 3000 lb car, and against a 5000 lb SUV it will not do well, though it may protect its' passengers better than the SUV. As a previous owner of an SUV, I've seen this several times in tests, and been shocked. You'd think a big heavy vehicle would be safe no matter what, but you'd be wrong.