How safe are S40's..........

[Mav_UK]

Hey People,

Quick question for you. My parents were involved in an accident with a drunk driver last night. He swerved across the road and hit the side of their car. They drive an Omega saloon (big and heavy) and apparently although there was a big bang and it did damage (front suspension, front quater, door skins and damaged back bumper) it a) didn't write off the car as far as we can see, and b) they didn't feel it the car didn't move. The other car ground to a halt, very damaged (a good job the guy wasn't going to stop). Both of my parents are fine and do not have bad necks this morning.

I am planning on trying to find a T4 saloon next year but wanted to know just how safe are they in these situations. Would it survive as well, or would it be thrown across the road?

Should I give up the fast Volvo as a dream for a few years and get a standard V70?

Cheers

Stu

[Dan F]

Bit of a hard one to answer that.
X40s are one of the safest cars in their class.

However no car is safe from a 40 ton truck driving at 70MPH, so do the maths. You are only as safe as the situation allows in the event of an accident.
The fact that any Volvo improves your chances of surviving even a relatively severe impact means that they are worth thinking about if you take your own safety seriously.
If follows however that a V70 is stronger and probably 'safer' than a V40, but bear in mind that it all depends on what decides to hit you at the end of the day.

As to the other part of the question, you didn't say what kind of car hit their Omega, but suffice to say I would rather be in *any* Volvo rather than an escort or Fiat or such like, in the face of an accident such as the one you described.

Hope that helps,
Dan.

[Simon Linton]

The Which magazine surveys on car safety among other things always say that the heavier a car is, the better it will perform in an accident, no matter what the safety rating.

Basic physics really, but something the "earlier" Volvo owners can take comfort from, despite all the SIPS, WHIPS and other gadgets Volvo have installed in the newer, lighter cars.

Which also consistently rates Volvo models at or near the top in every class of car it marks, so the marque is keeping up its safety reputation.

If you want a Volvo that won't get thrown about ,go large - S60 or S80 or the V70.

However, if you get a new S40, you'll be getting one of the safest cars for its mass, plus the lower cost of purchase and ownership.

[Mav_UK]

Dan,

In answer to your Q. The car that hit teh Omega was a 2 door Escort, It ripped the front suspension totally off the escort and put the front wheel under the engine.

I knew that Vovlos were safer (one of the reasons I didn't object to the 440 - esp as it has a Volvo towing hitch), just wondered how heavy and firm onthe road the S40 / V40's were (my girlfriend doesn't like big cars - I've only just got her to agree to a T4.

Stu

PS Anyone know any decent second hand sites in Germany, thinking of importing the T4 from either there or Belgium, Holland must have the most expensive second hand cars in europe......

[patrolman]

Hi,
The reason i now own an s70 is because my wife was involved in a smash with a beamer while drivin her s40 to work,and although the s40 was a right off she stepped out the vehicle without a scratch.Have pics somewhere but cos im new here im not sure where to upload them.

[irishcarfan]

For the size of the car, the S40 seems pretty good. It was the first car to get top marks in the Euro NCAP back in 97 or so. Some put value on this, some don't. It's a guideline, but only for a particular type of crash.

Size and weight play a big part, as often mentioned around here. A 5 Star NCAP Nissan Micra, will come off worse against a 5 Star Mercedes E-Class, even though both will perform similarly in the artificial environment of the NCAP test.

Similarly, if an S40 hit an S80, the S40 would come off worse.

Having said all of that, the S40 has such things as anti-whiplash seats and safety-wise, there are far worse cars to be in than an S40. I would not feel 'unsafe' in an S40.

[Volvon]

http://www.euroncap.com/results/volvo/s40.aspx

[velocitysurfer]

I remember that fith gear did a offset head on test between an old large Volvo, probably a 940 estate, and a new small car, probably a small nissan.

It wasn't very scientific and was probably rigged for entertainment purposes.

Not unsurprisingly the new car suffered less damage than the Volvo, as did the driver and passenger area. This is down to better safety cell design and other improvement over the last 15years, such as much better crumple zones which dissipate shed loads of energy compared to earlier cars.

In another episode they rolled a old mini down a hill and into a stationary object. Not much damage was done to the car but the energy going through the car (to stop it abruptly) would have given the driver a serious neck injury.

[Ragamuffin]

I remember that fith gear did a offset head on test between an old large Volvo, probably a 940 estate, and a new small car, probably a small nissan.

It wasn't very scientific and was probably rigged for entertainment purposes.

Not unsurprisingly the new car suffered less damage than the Volvo, as did the driver and passenger area. This is down to better safety cell design and other improvement over the last 15years, such as much better crumple zones which dissipate shed loads of energy compared to earlier cars.

It was demonstrating how new, smaller cars have come on in safety.

It was a newish Renault Modus vs a J reg 940 without airbags. In fairness to the Volvo, I would like to see how a J reg Renault anything would fare against a 940!

[Darth Vol]

is this thread really 9 yrs old??? Aug 30th, 2002, 06:24


good grief!:thumbs_up:

[gmain1967]

is this thread really 9 yrs old??? Aug 30th, 2002, 06:24


good grief!:thumbs_up:

I wondered that when I read "Omega and Escort" in the same sentence. Thought I was having a sort of Back to the Future moment.....!!!

[t5_monkey]

This is one of the oldest threads I've seen... 2002 is a long time ago now.

It's like being in HG Wells time machine!

[irishcarfan]

haha, oh well, it got me:loser: (pointing that loser sign at myself btw!)

[Anadinolin]

I wondered that when I read "Omega and Escort" in the same sentence. Thought I was having a sort of Back to the Future moment.....!!!

hands off my delorean, you!!

[gmain1967]

hands off my delorean, you!!

Wouldn't dream of touching it - you have rights to that now!!!!