Only one of these stories is Saab-specific, but both point out how safe your Saab is relative to other cars that don’t wear a Saab badge.
First up - a car that does actually wear a Saab badge thought it isn’t a Saab at its core.
The Saab 9-2x is, of course, based on the Subaru Impreza and Subaru do build safe cars, generally speaking. But from a Saabist’s point of view I was quite concerned when I saw a set of photos on Flickr relating to a rear-ender involving a 9-2x.
It looks like a fairly typical rear-end crash and perhaps the occupants suffered a little whiplash as a result.
Unfortunately, another photo I saw in the set at Flickr made me think it ended up being a bit more serious. The photo showed one of the occupants of the vehicle in hospital with a device being used to stabilise his back. The photo wasn’t gruesome or anything, but it’s been removed by the account holder.
It seems the seat back broke with the impact, and this is one of the major contributors to the passenger’s injury. So be thankful not only or your Saab’s clever construction but also for the fact that the seats are not only comfortable, but strong and safe as well.
Whilst the photo of the injured passenger has been removed, the photo of the seat itself was still available and you can see where the seat broke in the back section. Dangerous stuff when you’re dealing with people’s spines.
I hope the passenger recovers soon.
——
This second article, from the Times Online, relates to that news last week about the BMW 5-series performing so pooly in the IIHS crash tests in the USA.
In short, they say that prospective European owners of the ‘5′ shouldn’t be quite so worried as the car passed Euro NCAP tests, attaing much better results along the way. The prime reason the two test results were quite different is that in the US the test is conducted in a manner that simulates an SUV hitting the car in a side impact.
Given that there’s far fewer SUV’s in Europe, NCAP tests simulate a hit from a vehicle more typical on the continent. Consequently, the BMW fares better in the NCAP tests with a 4-star result as opposed to it’s “Marginal” result in the IIHS tests.
Memo to BMW - the Saab 9-3 rates as 5-stars in NCAP and has been a Top Safety Pick in the IIHS tests.
And the 9-5 has long been reputed as one of the safest real-world cars you can buy.
So once again, please remember those Saab engineers in your prayers tonight.
First up - a car that does actually wear a Saab badge thought it isn’t a Saab at its core.
The Saab 9-2x is, of course, based on the Subaru Impreza and Subaru do build safe cars, generally speaking. But from a Saabist’s point of view I was quite concerned when I saw a set of photos on Flickr relating to a rear-ender involving a 9-2x.
It looks like a fairly typical rear-end crash and perhaps the occupants suffered a little whiplash as a result.
Unfortunately, another photo I saw in the set at Flickr made me think it ended up being a bit more serious. The photo showed one of the occupants of the vehicle in hospital with a device being used to stabilise his back. The photo wasn’t gruesome or anything, but it’s been removed by the account holder.
It seems the seat back broke with the impact, and this is one of the major contributors to the passenger’s injury. So be thankful not only or your Saab’s clever construction but also for the fact that the seats are not only comfortable, but strong and safe as well.
Whilst the photo of the injured passenger has been removed, the photo of the seat itself was still available and you can see where the seat broke in the back section. Dangerous stuff when you’re dealing with people’s spines.
I hope the passenger recovers soon.
——
This second article, from the Times Online, relates to that news last week about the BMW 5-series performing so pooly in the IIHS crash tests in the USA.
In short, they say that prospective European owners of the ‘5′ shouldn’t be quite so worried as the car passed Euro NCAP tests, attaing much better results along the way. The prime reason the two test results were quite different is that in the US the test is conducted in a manner that simulates an SUV hitting the car in a side impact.
Given that there’s far fewer SUV’s in Europe, NCAP tests simulate a hit from a vehicle more typical on the continent. Consequently, the BMW fares better in the NCAP tests with a 4-star result as opposed to it’s “Marginal” result in the IIHS tests.
Memo to BMW - the Saab 9-3 rates as 5-stars in NCAP and has been a Top Safety Pick in the IIHS tests.
And the 9-5 has long been reputed as one of the safest real-world cars you can buy.
So once again, please remember those Saab engineers in your prayers tonight.