On the subject of weight and crash test ratings... IIHS and NHTSA (US) give their ratings for comparison between SIMILAR WEIGHT CLASSES. Getting 5 stars in a light car is simply a factor of design, not so much weight. I can't speak for the testing standards in Europe - I don't know their methodology
That doesn't mean lighter cars can't be safe... Engineers KNOW that large heavy monsters are on the road - knowing that, they can design for that. Geometry is a big deal when you don't weigh too much, which is why I'm wary of a small car with frame damage or damage that has been "fixed" :/
OH, I almost forgot... IIHS does a side impact test... Which, if I recall, can be compared across classes.
Quote:
|
Same goes for the MPG rating above. It shows that the CRX Gets an EPA rating much better than any of today's cars, but it also is comparing The Rating of the CRX's EPA rating, and Today's EPA rating, which are totally different.
|
I can agree to that... Even so, we're not talking about a difference of a few mpg's - we're talking 29.5mpg over the old CAFE law (27.5mpg). I didn't see any cars drop nearly 30mpg on the EPA switch
So with the new EPA standard - it's not
that bad... It's just bad