mx5cartalk.com

Thought y'all may be interested in this:

http://youtu.be/-PDwaAXYRs4

Date of test 21 November 1989 as seen on bonnet label. Hadn't seen this one before.

NHTSA used to test at only 46km/hr too. Now they use 56km/hr, still into a concrete barrier. The test is very different to ANCAP but you still get the general idea. You really don't want to crash an NA. Supported by actual statistical analysis of real crashes by MUARC.

I coulda sworn I'd read 35mph somewhere.. just realised it was on this other version of the same video..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNXo1cn5IsQ

Maybe the video poster assumed it was tested at 35mph (56kph) because that's what NHTSA use now..?

Could have been 35mph. I'm not entirely sure when they made the change from 30mph (I mistyped 46km/hr above - 30mph is 48km/hr).

Geez. I probably shouldna watched that.
But it is interesting to see:
The whole car bend in the middle then spring back "straightish"
Airbag (US I guess)
Seatbelts functioning but poor at restraining upper body
Steelies!

Overall, not as horrific as I expected.

It's a small, fairly cheap car with no roof, designed in the 1980's and built in the 1990's. With that in consideration, I honestly don't think it's that bad.

It looked like the people in the cabin would have fairly well just walked away, crumple zone worked really well, the crush on the front end is very even and basically stops at the cabin.

Dann