What’s safest - big and old or small and new(ish)?

[benja]

I have wondered recently what car is the safest between my wife’s 2013 Honda jazz and my 2001 v70.

We have a toddler and I sometimes wonder if we should do long journeys in mine rather than hers - we mostly use hers for petrol reasons (mine running at 27/28 mpg atm)

I feel like the v70 with the size and probable excellent safety standard for its time would be the safest. But I expect tech in crumple zones/seating positions etc.has come on since the late 90s...

I have done no research on this at all. And would like to make it clear that this isn’t a big issue for me but thought It may be an interesting discussion point, then again it may be blinding obvious to everyone but me.

Ben

[john.wigley]

'Morning, Ben. First off, the V70 is a very safe car in it's own right. Volvo have always been ahead of the field in safety related matters; one only has to think of the early fitting of safety restraints and dual circuit brakes, long before they were required by legislation.

My 2000 V70, as did my '91 944, has an integrated child seat incorporated in the centre of the rear seats, which must surely be a very safe place for your youngster to be.

Likewise, the Honda is obviously a safe car, too; it has to be, in order to meet the legislation requirements. However, and I fully accept that it might be psychological, I personally feel much safer in my V70, than I do in my friend's 13 reg Fiesta, for example. The comfort and refinement of the larger car is a bonus in my view, while the increased fuel cost is only a minor penalty.

Regards, John.

[T5R92011]

I would be inclined to say the V70 would be a better all-rounder across a multitude of crash scenarios because of it's weight and knowing how Volvo have crash tested their cars in that unique Safety Center in Gothenburg.

EuroNcap have a specific set of crash tests that every car is judged on, so the manufacturers who arent so focused on safety are just trying to put a tick in a box to pass those tests, whereas Volvo for decades have been crash testing their cars in every possible scenario you can think of, so I would hope that would result in Volvo cars being generally better in a much broader range of crash scenarios.

No SIPS or WHIPS in the Jazz either.

[andy_d]

ask yourself this
Small car with crumple zones , painted tinfoil body panels
Large car, with crumple zones, SIPS , Volvo's passenger saftey cage, Metal body panels.
WHIPS, etc etc etc when it says VOLVO front & back

theres more Space for things to crumple into Before they hit "human shape things" in a larger car AND its a volvo

NCAP = box ticking only with a LOT of manufs.
Volvo do Saftey its a Volvo thing they have lead the field for decades in saftey ,,,,

[DaveNP]

There was a youtube video doing the rounds a few years back of an older Volvo (940 I think) versus a newer Hatchback, conventional wisdom was that a big ol' Volvo would obliterate the Hatchback, in the event due to the superior engineering of the modern car whilst both cars sustained a lot of damage it was the Volvo driver who would have had the worst injuries.
I'd venture a 2001 V70 would be safe, as would the 2013 Jazz, which would be safest may come down to the detail of the particular accident.

[edmoss]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBDyeWofcLY

Newer smaller car wins.

[Whyman]

I saw some Department of Transport stats some years ago.

To put it simply the larger the car you are in the less likely you are to die or be seriously injured in a RTC.

If nothing else in an accident the third party has further to penetrate your V70 before it gets to you!

I would take the V70 every time

[Discombobulated]

At work we had to recover two cars from an accident, an R registered (1997/98) BMW 7 series and a 2013 Suzuki Alto, the 2 had had a head on collision overlapping by about 20 percent, imagine the engines slid along side one another and the offside front wheels hit each other head on. The Little Suzuki’s passenger compartment was completely undamaged whereas on the BMW the floor around the pedals was badly crumpled. I think both drivers walked away but surprisingly the Suzuki came off a lot better than the BMW.
I’m not saying it would put me off being in a V70, just trying to say car safety has come on a long way recently. I’m sure there will be Ncap crash tests for both of your vehicles online.

[Thekilt]

I would expect age to have an effect on the V70. If it was a brand new one, no doubt. But with certain level of corrosion and decay on parts of the older cars it wouldn’t surprise me if the Honda would be better. I trust our 2016 V40 over the 2001 V70 any day.

[green van man]

It's all in the accident.
An ex neighbour was a traffic cop, he told me of attending a fatal crash where a Volvo had been tee boned, ie side impact, the volvo driver a middle aged man was dead and not a mark on him. Side airbag had deployed. Autopsy revieled the side impact caused his heart to swing in his chest, causing the aorta artery to be ripped out and he bled to death internally. The driver who hit him walked away with cuts and bruses.

The secret to survival is to not had crashes, if that means driving for the other buggers as well as yourself so be it. The safest car is the one that you miss.

Paul.