German auto club and prominent European crash tester ADAC has pitted a large SUV against a minicar with harrowing results. The test consisted of an overlapping frontal crash test at 56km/h between an Audi Q7 and a Fiat 500. The result was worrying, for the passengers in the Fiat 500 at least, confirming the old adage that size does matter.

In particular, the testers noted that the driver of the Fiat 500 was very vulnerable as the driver’s airbag can force the driver’s head towards the A-pillar, which causes the upper body to come into contact with the steering wheel. ADAC also noted that the airbag burst shortly after deploying, and that the sheer force of the crash would have caused serious, life threatening injuries to the driver - especially in the neck, leg and pelvic areas.
In contrast, the Q7 fared much better than the Fiat 500. The injury risks for every passenger in the Q7 was low - while not even passengers in the back seats would have been spared from injury in the 500, despite it being a frontal crash.
ADAC concluded that the Fiat’s poor performance was due to the great mass of the Q7 and its front-flat structure which is not conducive to spreading the impact of crash energy. The results clearly demonstrate why consumers shouldn’t compare safety ratings between different classes. The Fiat 500, for example, garnered a five-star safety rating in its class from EuroNCAP, while the Q7 only managed to gain four stars.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pVF1Wr7GLQ

What's your thoughts? Size matters?

They need to test all cars like this. If you notice in the video, the Fiat lifts off the ground and flies backward, while the Audi just stops, It is simple physics. And how often are you going to hit a wall or something that isn't moving? In crash tests both objects should be moving to create realistic results.

EDIT: And look at the close up on the driver in the Fiat at about 55 seconds, its head goes behind the side curtain airbag.

I shows how good manufacturers are at making cars safer. If you did that between the original 500 and, say, an ancient landcruiser, the 500 would have been ground to atomic dust.

The Audi's ability to deform in the 500's favour while still maintaining the cabin structure was impressive, and I think the 500 did quite well considering it was just smashed into by two and a half tonnes of troll.


It should also be mentioned that the reason cars are so heavy today is because of what you just saw; that added mass is a direct result of making them much more safer than cars of even 15 years ago.

Pretty good points guys. I was thinking the same.

Anyways i think that the Fiat 500 did great in this test. It could have been worse.

Impressive results from each of the cars I have to say, clearly we've come a long way since 10 or 20 years ago.

The bit of the article you should really read is this though "The results clearly demonstrate why consumers shouldn’t compare safety ratings between different classes. The Fiat 500, for example, garnered a five-star safety rating in its class from EuroNCAP, while the Q7 only managed to gain four stars."

This is the ol' debate.

Passive safety - heavier car=safer (as seen in the video)

Active safety - lighter car=safer (as it'll be easier to change direction and miss the crash)

This also proves the safety of SUV's and how a Lotus Exige would be lethal.

Damn, the Q7 was damaged a lot

Although, it did great compared to the 500, which is a total wreckage

Further proof SUV's are a danger to everyone else on the road..

and it's physics...as mentioned..

bigger car will exert more force than the smaller car..

your buddy swings a bag of potatoes at you with 30lbs and you counter his swing with a 60lb back of potatoes..

you're not the one who's got to duck.