Pick your ride from the past 5 years---watch what a 5 or 40mph impact does to it---

[thekingofpain]

http://www.progressive.com/RC/VSafet...ash_videos.asp

Very informative---

[OuTpaTienT]

Wow. I just checked out the pickup trucks and was quite surprised. Toyota was the only truck that didn't sustain heavy damage to the cab of the truck. All the American trucks seem to have much more damage well into the cab area, which means more damage to your flesh 'n bones.

[M_Six]

Ouch, my poor feet!

Nasty.

[Heavy_Equipment]

I agree Out, either the 2001 Dodge Ram or Ford F150 would cost you your legs... at least.

[OuTpaTienT]

I had a second look at that Ford. It's the worst of the bunch. The whole cab crushes in. That's pathetic. Maybe if it were the Ranger, but it's their big boy, the F-150. I'd expect better from a big truck.

[Atomic Rooster]

I would like to see more realistic crash tests. In those tests the vehicle absorbs all the energy on impact with the concrete block. Which, as you can see creates alot of damage. Take two cars and mash them together and you will see very different results in that the distribution of energy in the impact will be shared by both vehicles. Take a vehicle that fails badly in the bumper test and bump it into another car with the same "5 mph" bumpers and you will see little to no damage as compared to bumping into a solid object.

[Warthog]

The crappiness of Ford p/u's isn't new...there was a Datline show on it a few years ago comparing the top 4 trucks: Ford, Chevy, Dodge and Toyota. Of course the Toyota Tundra came out on top...all the others hurt you in some way or another.

[Gomer]

I would like to see more realistic crash tests. In those tests the vehicle absorbs all the energy on impact with the concrete block. Which, as you can see creates alot of damage. Take two cars and mash them together and you will see very different results in that the distribution of energy in the impact will be shared by both vehicles. Take a vehicle that fails badly in the bumper test and bump it into another car with the same "5 mph" bumpers and you will see little to no damage as compared to bumping into a solid object.

They are representative tests. By having a standard test, they can better compare multiple vehicles.

As for the 5 MPH bumper test... it can't get more accurate than that. Very typical low speed accident.

[OuTpaTienT]

The only problem I had with the 5mph test was how often do you bump something like that dead center on your bumper?

As for the 40mph driver side front impact, that is a great test and one people should pay attention to. It may not be representitive of the most common type of accidents but it is one of the more deadly type of accidents. That frontal impact will force all the material between the bumper and the driver back towards the driver. If the "cockpit" area of the vehicle is not strong enough to withstand it, then some of that material will end up invading the drivers space, which translates into a world of hurt for the driver.

Ford should be ashamed to have ANY vehicle it makes perform as poorly as that F-150 did.

[no1_vern]

Thats one of the reasons for these tests. FORD DOESNT CARE. All they want is your money. Once you have bought the truck, Ford doesnt care if you are killed driving one of their trucks or not, they have your money.

In fact if it wasnt for GOVERNMENT laws requiring the car makers to install them, we wouldnt have seatbelts, air bags, crumpable bumpers, etc.