Thread: Not What I would have expected...... better drive more carefully

Someone else might be able to shed more light on this but I would say that was a tad one sided as the Renault is a much later model than the disco.

Match vehicles of the same vintage and same safety standards.

How would a D3 go against a new spat.

Originally Posted by Stephen Price

I'm with BLKNIGHT, the moral of the story is:- always aim for a full frontal. You might not have time but the bigger the contact area the better -for both vehicles.

In an emergency situation that's some serious will power and self control and would go against self preservation instincts.

Unless of course you've had some previous practise and experience.

Originally Posted by drivesafe

Someone else might be able to shed more light on this but I would say that was a tad one sided as the Renault is a much later model than the disco.

Match vehicles of the same vintage and same safety standards.

How would a D3 go against a new spat.

I don't think those tests are designed to be fair crash tests. They are supposed to answer the question..."I've got 15k(pounds). I can buy this renault or a 5 year old disco. Which one is safer?"

Not wanting to start anything, but I reckon if you've got time to think "right I'm about to hit that (wall/car/pole), may as well adjust the car to hit it fully front on" and then carry out the task of repositioning the car successfully, you should have plenty of time to do something more like miss it. Plus natural reactions, as stated, will always go for self preservation.

Highlights the need for a good quality bull bar to deflect the energy somewhat. Dead head on crash the results would have a different story but this wouldn't have fitted their story. Vehicles with built in crumple zones will always fair better in these tests so there should have been no surprise with the result. Still it could have been worse i've seen vans roll from impacts like that.

Originally Posted by dhard

Dead head on crash the results would have a different story but this wouldn't have fitted their story.

I would respectfully beg to differ from that opinion.

As it is, the Espace coped very well with only one of it's crumple zones used.

If it were a full head on, both left and right crumple zones would have come into play. There would have been even better passenger protection in the Espace.

The Disco, in a full frontal with the Espace, may fare only slightly better.

It really doesn't have to be a serious impact like that to cause a knee butt in a Disco - everytime I jump in, I can't but help notice just how little space there is from my knee to the dashboard. And I'm not even a tall person or have long legs.


Fact is, the Disco did not do well in the test and that's just because it's not as safe as the Espace in a collision.

I don't believe that fitment of a bullbar would have helped terribly much either.

Good video - just a reminder that we are not driving around in the safest choice of vehicle as they are other safer (although not better) alternatives out there.

I've had a 'head on' in a SIIA 109.

I was driving down a hill doing 60kph and there was a stationary car on the other side of the white line, waiting for me to pass so he could do a right hand turn into a side street. Unfortunately for him, he had his wheels already turned, and he got rammed from behind by a taxi. This pushed him into the path of the oncoming Land Rover when I was about a car length away.

All three cars were written off, luckily no one was seriously hurt. The Land Rover ploughed through in a staight line and spun the car back for a secondary side impact with the taxi.

It was like slow motion as I saw items fly past my head from the back of the car. I had done some work on the gearbox and some of the floor screws were missing, the floor flexed open, stuff fell through the floor onto the road and the floor sealed shut again! The chassis must have flexed heaps, and was left a little bannana shaped.

the espace has always had a very strong frame and is a monocoque rather than rail chassis. what they fail to mention is an espace will beat almost any car in most crash tests including side impact. (just what ive read)

and a steel bull bar would have made a massive difference in that crash by utilising both rails to absorb the energy (thats why they wanted to ban them completely a while back) still a writeoff but not the point (and ally bars break easy)

i know which i would prefer to drive and own.