The new Small Overlap Frontal Test has showed several new, expensive cars failing with current designs. The test stationary target overlaps 25 percent of the front end of the moving car.

http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor...814-2466b.html

Looking at my CMS ALL4, I think we might be in better shape than, say, the BMW 3-series ("marginal"). Using the drawing of a MINI WRC car, it looks like the strong bits in the front, the two projections that go out to the bumper, may be widely enough positioned to contribute to protection in this situation, unlike the example VW shown in the article. The photos of the front end of my car show how these parts look.

 

If you're going to crash, just make sure you get the telephone pole or whatever dead center on the bumper and not on the headlight. Easy peasy, right?

 

The piece you're referring to is an extension of the sub-frame. It's not gonna help much. It's the frame that matters... the rails on which the motor mounts are bolted on each side.

The new crash test will have many once "safe" cars in the LOW LOW score territory. Originally, they crash tested at 40% of the front-end. Now about 20-25% of the front-end hits the wall and must absorb all that energy. And if the car misses the frame entirely and shears off the the wheel, the bulk of the energy will be absorbed at the A-frame.

So chrunck is right... aim for dead center if you must hit anything, assuming you're in control.

 

I would argue that the two rails that stick out front, common among many new cars, are, with the engine stuff, what we've got to absorb some energy up front. Admittedly they're tied to the wall between the A frames, hopefully very strong. The stripped down WRC shows the important parts they left out front.

My point is that, unlike the VW with a relatively narrower spacing, the MINI CM may be able to engage those supports in the new test, to the benefit of the crash test score (and the "occupants").

I couldn't agree more about missing that structure - the wheel supports on the CM get stripped off and the A frame takes the hit, just like in the article photo.

 

Annnnnd To revive a dead thread! lol

Looks like Ghamma was correct.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0Q42CC20140730

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/veh...per-countryman

 

Thanks for the nod - it's unfortunate that I've tested my CM4 a bit more
than most customers (not everyone has had the opportunity to examine
the internal bits in detail), but I continue to be pleased about what a strong
MINI it is. I'm not surprised that it did better than most in the small overlap
crash test - I'm delighted