There are two articles in AUTOWEEK September 23 2002 Issue about MINIs.
One article is about a family of three comparing a Mazda MPV & a MINI Cooper S, the other is about one of the editors crashing a MINI into a tree hard enough to split the tree and have it fall back on to the roof of the car. The pics show the extensive damage to the MINI. The editor broke a nail and has a bruise from the airbag deploying. Good article, scary photo!

SD

 

Cool thing about the crash article was this was the first time that BMW had a chance to see how crash worthy the MINI was. From what she did to the vehicle i was pretty impressed that she walked away from the whole thing.

Too bad the MINI did not make it into the previous few pages of this weeks publication. If you read Autoweek you will know what I'm talking about. If you don't read Autoweek......you should!

 

These were posted today on Autoweeks website.
enjoy.....

Crash Test MINI....

And...

MINI vs. Mini-Van

Happy Motoring,
SW

PS. These will be added to the "Reading List" soon.

 

From the crash test mini article...

<i>The Mini gives its life to protect the life of the occupants</i>

That's what I'm talkin about! Glad I ordered!

 

Wow that crash article was amazing!

Take that all you people that said my Mini isn't safe!

 

I just read that yesterday - and it made me feel better about driving such a small car!

MINI has made it into the mag quite a few times. I do agree with you that I wish they would do a full review, although they don't seem to do the "also considered" thing now when they do a review - maybe they aren't getting enough reader input or they don't want to wait for readers to submit material? I do enjoy AUTOWEEK!

 

In her article, she forgot to mention whether the MINI right after the accident had automatically enabled the hazard flashing lights and unlocked all 3 doors. According to the MINI sales brochure, the car is supposed to do these 2 things in the aftermarth of an accident.

I don't think she remembers clearly what happened after her crash, but boy that must have been very scary.

I am glad she is doing OK and the car demonstrated exceptional strength and structural integrity to protect its interior occupants.

Before I forget, another excellent safety item in the MINI are the exterior bar type door handles. These give a lot of leverage to rescuers when attempting opening a jammed door, unlike the cheaper and more common "Nail Braker" type of door handles.

 

maybe the girls should be required to take a test before being allowed to own a MCS, laugh

just kidding girls.....sounds like way too much overcorrective action which usually puts you in a ditch...cheers...

 

Curious if the MCS was equiped with DSC? I know they quoted as saying:
"To its credit the car remained upright, and I thank Mini engineers for outfitting it with every driver and safety aid under the sun: ABS, traction control, stability control and six airbags." - but I am not sure if this was DSC or just the standard ASC that comes with the MCS.

Photos look ugly. Glad she is alright. Give her a new Mini. Motor On.

 

>>maybe the girls should be required to take a test before being allowed to own a MCS, laugh
>>
>>just kidding girls.....sounds like way too much overcorrective action which usually puts you in a ditch...cheers...

You're a jerk, Nolan. I've defended you in the past, but a "joke" like this tells me you're just out to offend.

Sincerely, A 25-year-old "girl" driving an S...
:evil:

 

Hmmm...the article said this was the first air-bag incident on an S that they knew of. I guess the dealers don't talk much to MINI; I heard about another DS S that hit a Ford Probe in Atlanta. I /think/ the airbags deployed. Heard about it on the MINI2 forums...think the title of the thread was "My friend crashed his S today" or something like that. Good to know it holds up well - more fuel for the comment "good luck in an accident in such a small car!"

 

I read that post on MINI2 about the guy crashing his S into the Probe in Atlanta. In the Atlanta crash the impact speed was much lower, plus they hit the side of the Probe while it was parked. They were impressed that the Mini held up so weel and they were glad they were uninjured, but most of the follow-up posts concerned what a jerk the driver was due to his cavalier attitude about totalling the Probe.

In this Autoweek crash the impact speed was much higher and the angle of impact was scarier (head on), making this a better testimony to the crashworthiness of the Mini.

 

>>I read that post on MINI2 about the guy crashing his S into the Probe in Atlanta. In the Atlanta crash the impact speed was much lower, plus they hit the side of the Probe while it was parked. They were impressed that the Mini held up so weel and they were glad they were uninjured, but most of the follow-up posts concerned what a jerk the driver was due to his cavalier attitude about totalling the Probe.
>>
>>In this Autoweek crash the impact speed was much higher and the angle of impact was scarier (head on), making this a better testimony to the crashworthiness of the Mini.

Yeah, that's right...I wonder if MINI heard about it, though. I'm very happy to hear that the MINI is holding up well...I do worry with a lot of the crazy drivers around.

 

>>maybe the girls should be required to take a test before being allowed to own a MCS, laugh
>>
>>just kidding girls.....sounds like way too much overcorrective action which usually puts you in a ditch...cheers...

Cheers? Grow up, Nolan. I've only been reading this forum for a month or so, and I grew tired of reading your drivel almost immediately. If I were administering this site, I'd kick you off for a pointlessly inflammatory comment like that.

Stop laughing, too. It's getting creepy.

 

Nolan is a troll. He fits the same basic profile of all the 100's of trolls I have seen over the years. Just ignore him he is clueless.

 

Hey, i think Nolan just posted something that could log an official complaint...

Rocketboy_X

 

>>maybe the girls should be required to take a test before being allowed to own a MCS, laugh
>>
>>just kidding girls.....sounds like way too much overcorrective action which usually puts you in a ditch...cheers...


Hey it's Nolan....flaming people on here again.

To be perfectly honest....the worst drivers that I know are guys so I don't know where that comment could possibly come from.....If it had been a guy that had gotten into this accident I am sure he would not have said "maybe the GUYS should be required to take a test before allowing to own a MCS." Regardless of whether or not you are kidding that is still an awfully tacky comment.

I'm just glad the woman who got into the accident is ok....

 

Nolan is a troll and a moron. I've been suckered into responding to his idiotic posts, but I've made a policy to just ignore him and move on. You guys should do the same.

Anyway, about the original topic of the crash, well I am very impressed. I checked out the article and my jaw hit the floor when I saw the photos. It is amazing that this woman walked away from this crash without any serious injuries. This is sure to ease any fears that my wife may have had about me buying such a small car! More ammunition for me to fire back at people who dismiss the MINI as a death trap.

 

hey sfiveten, thanks for providing the links to the MINI crash stories :smile: I've been looking for the articles like crazy. It's good to hear the car doing well in a crash, it alleviates some concerns about the car's actual safety in a real life crash situation.

I'm still kinda new to the site so I don't know anything about this Nolan everyone is speaking of so no comment on that, but in any case sickmodboy loves them ladies

"and if a double decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die..."

 

I've read most of the posts here, and I'm pretty sure that is the first actual Smith's quote...good song BTW!