There's a MSNBC doumentary on TV right now. Shows the National Insurance institute's "offset-crash" tests for a bunch of vehicles. Seems to involve driving a car at 40mph into a solid/stationary object but the impact is only on the driver's half of the car. They used a 170lb male dummy w/ sensors and a computer to record real-time forces on the dummy's "body".

They tested a 2000 maxima and new (larger) Sentra. Both got "Acceptable" ratings (scale was "good, acceptable, marginal, and poor"). The Maxima w/ the side airbags had no upper-body or head injuries at all, but both legs of the dummy recorded forces that could equate to multiple fractures in both legs.

Just thought this was interesting. Too bad they only do one crash though.

(and please don't bother flaming, I'm just telling what I saw)

 

The Sentra they tested had similar results, but if I heard the guy correctly, the knee of the dummy hit the steering column, and the key broke off in the test-dummy's leg. OUCH!!!!

The ALTIMA just scored a "Marginal" but I didn't hear the details.

 

I am watching it now. It seems Nissan's have always been good in crashes except for knee injuries. I don't know why they can't seem to fix that problem. I like having side airbags though, it makes me feel safer.

 

I never quite bought into how exact these tests supposedly are. It's my opinion that a similar weighing car with similar safety devices will do about the same in crash tests. These just happen to be at the right angle to make certain things happen in some cars and not others. I've never had any doubt as to the safety of my Max. I would take it over a Honda Accord any day in a crash, simply because size = safety (not SUVs, dont reply about rollovers).A car with the same safety features and bigger size will always give an occupant a better chance to survive a crash than a smaller one. The Max is on the larger side of the midsize segment, its crash figures are always right there with everyone else's, and to me it feels pretty solidly built, far more so than the Accord I used to own.

 

as did the Toyotas and Mercedes. That's why I passed on the 95-96 Maximas. The crash tests were not acceptable. It wasn't until 97 that Maxima even was considered acceptable.

One could argue it really doesn't matter since none of us plan on having an accident. But it would be nice to get a lower collision rate on insurance.

 

fyi, i've been in 3 major wrecks in hondas, an 88 accord, a 94 civic coupe and a 95 civic coupe... in short.... the cars crumple so the people inside dont. the two civic wrecks were the worst... i was hit head on by some bozo running a redlight (as i was turning left on a green arrow) at about 60 mph (speed limit was 55, so i assume he was speeding through the light). he was in a jeep cherokee... tore the civic up bad... but i walked away with only the wind knocked out of me. the other civic accident was on the same road, almost exactly a year after the other, and about 1/2 mile away... i was rearended at about 55 by some lady in an old pontiac 6000... i was stopped at the stoplight and she apparently didnt want to stop. she was drunk as hell and couldnt even stand, they carted her off to jail. i was perfectly fine... just mad as hell (little whiplash but it passed in 3 or 4 days) anyways, the cars were total losses ($10,500 in damage to the first civic, $9,600 in damage to the second.) i personally am very pleased with my "small" hondas performance in 3 major wrecks, so size doesnt necessarily mean survivability if the car isnt designed correctly.

Neal

 

thats very true though... a friend of mine got into an accident in his parents' old caprice he got hit from behind by a cavalier... the cavalier was smashed up and all his caprice got was a scratched bumper and the exhaust tip was bent a little haha... i looked at it and i couldnt believe that there was no damage on the car but he took the impact, his back was messed up from it

 

a couple of weeks ago. They were comparing "cheap" cars to the "expensive" ones. The Merc's, Jag's and Lex's all got a "good" rating, but so did the Civic. Makes you wounder sometimes, but then again, I never bough my Max for the saftey, I bough it because it was fast and could fit my family.

 

That's incorrect. Designs make a HUGE difference... weight of the car doesn't mean much. It's about how the forces are deflected away from the cabine that counts.

-Shing

 

To add additional thoughts:

Remember, the worse looking the crash, probably the better for the person inside. Remember, just because the car is bigger doesn't mean it's safer.. that's such a myth. With the way the cars are designed, they are one time use... unlike those big old trucks... suuure the car faired ok, but guess who took up most of the energy, you.

Saying the max is safer because it's bigger, just not true. And don't believe for one sec that the maxima is always going to be safer than a smaller car. I've seen MANY MANY crashes by bone headed ricers in their civics/accords... the cars look horrible, but people walked way from them.

-Shing

 

I think that's because most of them are kids, thus their young and flexible bodies can take the damage Kinda like a baby at birth. (Just a funny stereotype that came to mind, don't flame me for this, I'm not serious)

 

You're right, but it's been my experience that in accidents the person in the larger car walks away looking better than the person in a smaller car. I absolutely agree that engineering makes a difference, but I don't feel that it's as apparent in real-world situations as it is in controlled offset testing. I don't mean safety features by this, but design of the crumple zones and body structure. Also, I'm talking about cars of the same model year and similar features, not, say, a '78 Lincoln and a 2k Civic. Example - a friend of our family was in an accident in her new (at the time) ES300, and was hit by an old woman in an old Cadillac almost head on (the old woman was trying to turn left and went into the wrong lane). The old woman was not very badly hurt (a few scratches), but the woman in the ES broke her leg, and has neck and back problems to this day. This was a very safe car, but it just can't compete with 6000 pounds of steel. In a crash in which her car hit a stationary object, the outcome would probably been a lot different, as cars are designed more for that sort of crash. However, the sheer mass difference produced very lopsided damage and injury in this case.

 

Some a$$hole decided to make a quick U turn in front of my last maxima from the right lane. I was doing about 50-55 still accelerating when he made his move. I slammed on the brakes with no ABS and ended up T-boning the drivers side door of his Chevy 1500. The last time I saw the speedo it was going through 40mph. I ended up in the left lane of opposite traffic. My front end was smashed to the engine, front windshield broken, airbags, right door peeled back a little, and the whole body was bent. Both vehicles were totaled. Walked away with a few scrapes and bruises. Maxima's are safe in my book.

 

...to buy my maxima. It was that or a Camry. I did all sorts of research to "justify" to my wife (a Toyota lover) why the Maxima was a better choice including crash test results. I found that it's plenty safe with below average injuries/fatalities, and the rear passengers actually did better in the Maxima (you know, honey, the kids will be back there...That was the clincher).
As far as size and design, common sense would tell me that I'm better off in a heavier vehicle than a lighter vehicle, however there was a BMW 328i that was tested on the show that recieved a "perfect" crash result on that offset thing. The 3-series are still considered subcompacts (as are civics), so obviously good design can offset the size/inertia factor.
I think a big factor in some of these large vehicles is that the bumpers don't line up to each other. My buddy in Chicago had a little toyota MR2 last year that was double parked at night (with his lights off-the idiot) as he ran in to pick up his girlfriend from her apartment; and it literally got "run over" by one of those big-a$$ "Denali" SUV's...the SUV's bumper was a couple inches higher than his car's, and it went up, slid over the engine, and tore the top off the MR2 like a sardine-can, where it came to rest. He wasn't in it, thankfully. I don't think any design can help you in a case like that.

 

does anyone else notice that maximas always have high mileage? i guess we like our cars so much we dont like getting out of them lol

 

Previously I have owned 3 maximas and only once have I been in an accident in one. It was in the 90 max. I was pulling out from a mall and had the car floored and a lady in a Mazda 929 hit me head on she was going about 45 and I was still accelerating at about 40 - 45 mph. I walked away with minor bruises, And the car still was partially drivable. I was able to pull it into a close parking lot and the 929 was totaled.