New, What to know before buying an aveo lt?

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Originally Posted by JPD

... I accept that the model has been tested by many different organisations with differing results. It failed the Euro NCAP crash-test in 2006 as the passenger cell collapsed, but other tests may not have produced the same results. ..... I agree the 2010 Aveo got the top rating in the US NACP as they improved the crumple zone and made airbags standard, but I inferred from the original post that someone couldn't have driven 120k since last year. Sounded like an older model.

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Yes, '04 and '05 carry warnings of pelvic injury from the US side impact tests. But the substantial differences between US/Euro frontal tests for '06 are surprising. The Euro NCAP use a different (deformable) barrier and higher speeds than the US tests. Their 64 KPH (~40 MPH) would be roughly 14% faster than the US frontal impact speed. The dominant deficiency in the 2006 Aveo Euro NCAP results was that the driver dummy's chest hit and deformed the steering wheel. I suppose the speed difference could account for why this didn't show up in the US tests, but then I would question any results where a smiley face airbag deploys (see video at above link):D.

The 2010 Aveo also got top rating in the Euro NACP. In fact, it is the current (10/2011) leader among their most recent tests of cars in its "Supermini" class. See http://www.euroncap.com/supermini.aspx.

Forgot to add: if safety is your driving concern, then you probably shouldn't be looking in the Aveo/Supermini class in the first place:

No attempt is made to compare the performance of cars from different size categories. In frontal impacts between heavy and light cars, it is clear that momentum effects favour the occupants of the heavy car. Other characteristics also tend to favour larger cars. - Development of the Euro NCAP Programme

14% faster speed difference when there is 40 mph? most of that speed (the extra 5mph?) would be absorbed from the collapsable (deformable) barrier.


crashes never really happen like testing anyhow. never. human judgement and error are involved, as well as compensation.
like the front impact test you posted. you will never hit 3/4 front end head on, you react and turn your wheels one way or the other in an attempt to miss the impact. That will either spin you into more damage, or result in missing the impact completely.

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Originally Posted by petrified.rabbit

14% faster speed difference when there is 40 mph? most of that speed (the extra 5mph?) would be absorbed from the collapsable (deformable) barrier.

crashes never really happen like testing anyhow. never. human judgement and error are involved, as well as compensation.

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You're right, both attempt to model collisions between similar sized cars with US at 35 MPH and Euro at ~34 MPH. However, something still has to account for the gross difference in results for 2006. Just focused on the secondary impact with the steering wheel which earned the slash on the Euro test, either the restraint system failed to perform or there was greater movement in the steering column (or both).... [assuming someone didn't bungle the test/model]. While the way the barrier deformed could have affected the second, the difference in speed could have affected either. The distribution of serious injury/fatal accidents around 35 MPH impact speed is surprizingly tight, so 5 MPH makes a huge difference in outcome.... and the dummy was still brought to a halt from ~40 MPH. It probably didn't see the full force of the additional 5 MPH for the reasons you gave, but it saw some of it... enough to account for the less favorable results, anyway.

Agree other factors, like the mind behind the wheel, are much more significant to safety, but didn't want to diverge. This is why I have little anxiety over the "pelvic injury" risk in our 2004 HB. Still, I respect that the difference in risk between the 2004 and 2010 model years is real and would consider it if in the market. But then I've been "the barrier" in the majority of my accidents; there's little opportunity for compensation when you're not moving. For those situations, the NCAP tests are a good relative comparison for safety assuming the striking vehicle is of a similar size.... and that is a BIG assumption, especially in the land of full-size pickups.