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I think the large & heavy = safer for your family arguement was thought up in the marketing department of an American automobile manufacturer possibly when the first gas crunch happened in the 1970's. They were caught in a horsepower race and had few and poor choices for cars that got good fuel economy. They tried to make it sound like if you drive a small car you are risking your life.
I watched a NHTSA video of a 1959 BelAir crash test and a 2009 Malibu crash test. The person in the Malibu would have gotten out and felt sorry for the loss of the vehicle and then praised God they walked away. The family of the driver of the BelAir would have had a closed casket funeral.
ALL of the cars today crash more safely than those in the past. Ignore the marketing departments who are trying to get you into the most expensive car you can afford and buy enough car to make you happy. When my kids were small, we fit two kids, diaper bag, stroller and small ice chest into the '84 Cavalier we had and went anywhere we wanted to go. Those who felt the need to load all that {and often lots more} into a Dodge Caravan simply paid a hihger penalty to get from here to there.
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