The truth about crash tests?
Newswheel staff :: 06 December 2005 :: Filed under BMW, BMW 3 Series, BMW 5 Series, Renault, Renault Espace, Renault Megane, Europe & UK, Safety, US
[Click on an image to view]
VW points the finger
Car manufacturers wear their Euro NCAP crash test scores with pride. But does a perfect five star rating mean anything in a real crash? Maybe not, according to safety specialists at VW. They reckon some manufacturers are engineering their cars to deliver good NCAP results at the cost of real-world safety.
According to Autocar Magazine, the central accusation is that some cars have been designed to allow a small deformation of the passenger cell during the 40mph frontal impact test. While this helps to absorb the energy of the impact and protect passengers at the specific speed of the NCAP test, it also translates into a less rigid safety cell. And that could have nasty consequences during a more severe real-life accident.
If true, it explains why a cars with safety cells strong enough to survive the NCAP test without deforming (the BMW 5 Series, for instance) can be awarded fewer stars than less rigid models.
So without further ado, check out the following pictures. The top pair show the current Renault Megane and Espace models, both five-star cars in the NCAP frontal test. Below them are the BMW 3 and 5 Series, which were awarded only four stars for the same test. Under close examination, the high resolution images (click the pictures below for the full mega-pixel Monty) clearly show evidence of the beginnings of a passenger cell collapse around the front pillars of both the Renaults, while the BMWs are appear to be rock solid.
We don’t doubt that Renault can make a very plausible argument for the benefits of slight passenger cell deformation. But if we had to decide between a BMW 5 Series and a Renault Megane as our chariot of choice for a 70mph smash…well, we’d go big and German every time. And just in case you reckon we’re simply blowing BMW’s trumpet, check out the image below of a 1997 BMW 3 Series almost disintegrating during the NCAP test. Yikes.
Linkage:
Autocar
