Posted on 04/03/2008 3:30:11 PM PDT by kiriath_jearim
WASHINGTON (AP) - A government crash test of the 2008 Smart Fortwo micro car, the fuel- sipping vehicle that made its debut in the United States this year, found a safety concern in side-impact testing, officials said Thursday.
During the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration side test on the Smart two-door, the driver door unlatched and opened. The government said that could increase the likelihood of a driver or passenger being ejected from the 8-foot, 8-inch vehicle.
NHTSA, however, still gave the car its top score of five stars in side testing because of the ability of the car to protect the driver and passenger from injuries in a crash.
Rae Tyson, a NHTSA spokesman, said the rating is based on the level of protection that the vehicle provides to occupants, but it wanted to note a potential safety implication.
"Given the amount of attention on smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles in general and this vehicle specifically, we wanted to try to get the vehicle tested and the results out there as quickly as possible," Tyson said.
Ken Kettenbeil, a Smart spokesman, said the vehicle was designed to receive a four-star crash rating from U.S. regulators and the results were consistent with their expectations and similar tests in Europe. He called the safety concern in the side crash an "anomaly."
In other NHTSA tests, the Fortwo received four out of five stars in the front-end crash on the driver's side. On the passenger side, it received three out of five stars, meaning the passenger would face a 21 percent to 35 percent chance of serious injury.
In rollovers, the Fortwo received 3 out of 5 stars and had a 21 percent risk of rollover.
Smart, a division of Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz brand, began selling the cars in the United States in January.
Test results from the new micro car have been highly anticipated in the auto industry because of the vehicle's miniature size and concerns that a driver or passenger would be more vulnerable in a crash.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a Virginia-based organization that also conducts crash tests, is completing testing on the Fortwo and is expected to release its findings later this month.
The French-made vehicle, which has been sold for about a decade in Europe, has a steel safety cage and four standard air bags, including two in front and two on the sides to protect the head and abdomen. It also has standard electronic stability control, which is designed to stop vehicles from swerving off the road.
In a December interview, Smart USA President Dave Schembri said every showroom would display the vehicle's tridion safety cell, which protects occupants in a steel housing.
"We're taking the safety story, and we're telling it right on the showroom floor every day," Schembri said. "Because once you walk people through that ... you get it, because you can see it. It acts very much like a NASCAR racing cage."
The 1,800-pound car gets 33 miles per gallon in the city and 41 miles per gallon on the highway. Smart has marketed the vehicle as a good choice for consumers grappling with high gas prices and urban congestion but unwilling to sacrifice safety.
I have orderd one, I should have it in sept, there is a nine month waiting period in Seattle. I drove one and had alot of fun in it. I am looking for a comuter and easy parking.
Stay safe. Those big trucks can’t see little cars very well.
IIRC, mine was called the Civic CRX.
For those not familiar, they are mfg in France by a Mercedes affiliate, and Roger Penske has the USA rights to sell them. They’re not terribly cheap at 15 grand or so.
When you see one on the street it’s definitely a shocker because of the tiny size. If I lived in a city like Chicago or NYC and never went on the freeway, it might make sense, more because of the ability to park and maneuver than the actual gas mileage.
Yeah, that’s the thing. The Fortwo is a go-cart on wheels and yet really get no better gas mileage than current technology or even previously built cars. WHAT’S THE POINT? Oh, I get it, it gives the environazis a tingling sensation up their leg.
Smart cars have been very popular around here for a few years. There have been no real safety issues. The big advantage is parking.
BTW, the diesel versions got a lot better fuel mileage.
There were two more letters after that. CRX Si, CRX HF, or the standard one. I suppose it’s possible the standard version didn’t have any letter designation. That would explain why I don’t remember what the letter designation was for the standard version.
At 1800 to 2000 lbs. it will be easy to pull and just right for in town driving and when out on a jaunt for a week or two. I need something to go to the laundry and grocery store when parked for a spell. I couyld use it around home for the weekly shopping sprints.
As “Fat Bastard” said “I’ve had bigger chunks of corn in my crap”!
ROFLMAO
They had those “Smart” cars all over Spain when I was stationed there (2003-2005).
I saw one here in DC just last week. On the ROAD. It really surprised me!
Nah, looks perfectly safe to me . . . NOT !
THere’s one car smaller than the smart micro car, that I know of. THis link shows it as purely electric, but I’m sure I read somewhere about 10 years ago that they made a version with a harley v-twin engine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corbin_Sparrow
The car might not be safer than a bicycle, but these safety people could find a dozen safety concerns to a dirt shovel.
Laid to rest.
LADEEZ AND GEMPMUMS:
Behold the future!
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