Fiat’s 500 crashes out when it comes to safety

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go ahead and whine about modern cars. They’re too complicated, too expensive, and too heavy (take your pick!) compared to the vehicles from our rose-coloured past. But at least they’re much safer. In fact, modern cars have become so much better at protecting their occupants, safety’s become a commodity in new car showrooms, like rust protection and reliability. The assumption is, all cars are equal when it comes to crunch time.

 

Well, not all cars. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has tagged the Chrysler Group's Fiat 500 city car with a three-out-five star safety rating, the lowest of any new 2012 model tested so far.

 

The two-door subcompact received four stars from NHTSA for frontal crash and rollover accidents. Not bad. But the Cinquecento received just two stars for side-impact crash safety.

 

Just so you know, the crash test results and star ratings have yet to be released for the 500's primary competitor, the Mini Cooper. Or other new or redesigned 2012 subcompacts, like the Honda Fit, Chevy Sonic and Toyota Yaris. However, the NHTSA did give the Ford Fiesta subcompact a combined four-star rating.

 

In a response statement, Chrysler Group wanted to mention that the 500 has been named a "Top Safety Pick" for 2011 by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, for what that’s worth.

 

Now, we all know that small cars are like getting enough fibre and brushing our teeth; they're good for you. But the assumption, these days, is that small cars are just as safe as larger cars.

 

So, does the small Fiat NOT scoring a five-star rating make you think twice about buying that car?

 

Or are safety test results overrated?

 

Source: NHTSA, Chrysler Group

Comments

[alan]

I think when someone gets into an accident, those test results are going to come in handy and not just a number anymore. I'll take 5 stars out of 3 given everything else is the same. Why wouldn't anyone?

[Richard]

Do most people even look at crash test ratings when buying a vehicle? I myself have bought a vehicle based upon crash ratings.

I think the most people are more interested in how the car looks, how it drives and what kind of mileage it gets (and in that order, too).

[Hagen]

All things being pretty close in a show-down in the showroom, safety would be a tie-breaker. And I don't mean as an afterthought.

Safety is made up of so many aspects, and a lot of them depend on driver awareness. But...sometimes you didn't anticipate far enough ahead (or you were wrong), and at other times, you are completely at the mercy of the other driver busy doing anything BUT driving. It is times like that when crash protection is key to walking away, and many times, survival.

[Drop Suspension]

You should look on the crash ratings whenever you buy a vehicle. It's an important consideration in deciding to buy any car.