WASHINGTON (CNN) - Two popular small cars have subpar bumpers that could mean more than $1,000 of damage from a parking-lot fender bender, a highway safety group announced Tuesday.

The BMW Mini Cooper and the Suzuki Aerio, both new for the 2002 model year, rated either "marginal" or "poor" in tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

[...]

The institute conducted four low-speed tests on each car, gauging how well they performed when their front and rear bumpers hit a flat barrier, when their front bumpers hit an angled barrier, and when the rear bumpers hit a pole.

The Suzuki Aerio, a hatchback-style four-door, had the highest average damage per test: $1,131. The Audi A4 had the lowest average: $216.

Suzuki engineers "simply didn't do a good job with the bumper systems when they designed this car," said Adrian Lund, the institute's chief operating officer.

The Aerio's bumper cover came apart in three of the four crash tests, necessitating replacement at a cost of $500 each time.

"Its bumpers fail to do what bumpers are supposed to do, which is to minimize damage in minor impacts," said Lund. "In fact, these bumpers are just expensive decorative trim."

While the Mini Cooper fared slightly better than the Suzuki, it still netted $800 in average damage per test.

"It's attracting a lot of attention for distinctive styling," Lund said, "but the bumpers aren't praiseworthy."

The worst test for the Mini Cooper was the angle-barrier test, which caused about $1,500 in damage. Lund called the results "disappointing" but noted other BMW cars also generally don't perform well in fender-bender crash tests.

CNN/Money Story (12/03)

 

how fast were they going? I rear ended a lady, I was going 3-5mph and there was 0 damage to either vehicle. and I mean 0!! no scratch, no dent, nothing. I was very pleased.

 

OK, EVERYBODY! NOW HEAR THIS!
... don't bump nothin' ... !

 

I do not have to worry about slow speed bumper damage. My MINI doesn't like going slow so therefore CNN and can stick that report in Ted's $$$ stuffed pocket.

 

From the Institute's Website

BUMPER EVALUATIONS
DAMAGE REPAIR COSTS IN FOUR
LOW-SPEED CRASH TESTS AT 5 MPH

Bumpers should protect car bodies from damage in low-speed collisions, the kind that frequently occur in congested urban traffic. But many don't. The Institute conducts four 5 mph crash tests to assess bumper performance: front-into-flat-barrier, rear-into-flat-barrier, front-into-angle-barrier, and rear-into-pole.

Quick Time film of typical test

This is relevant for us city dwellers who have watched people parallel park in excess of 5mph. 10mph even.

 

Oh well. I don't buy cars because they protect my pocket in 5mph crashes.

 

the rear bumper holds up much better than the front http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_rat...eed_smcars.htm

 

I don't think anyone buys a Mini cause it will save them money, but with all that vaunted German engineering, you'd think at least we could be comparable to the VW Beetle (average damage: $52, less than a parking ticket, to the MINI's eight bills).

 

Thank goodness I didn't get an Aerio!

 

The organization cited is not an independent, scientific entity. These tests are funded by insurance companies, for various reasons. One reason surely is to justify charging you more for premiums...

 

I take the MINI Cooper anyday over an unreliable VW/Audi product.

 

Hey, look, I didn't write the report. Who ever funds the tests, and for whatever reason, it is still a nominally consistent measure of cosmetic damage, which is a useful thing to know. Buy why we think that bumpers should do little more than that is another discussion. Having seen photos (of the car, with the side collasped so far in that they could stand inside the valley and still be inside the outer edge of the front and read fenders) of a friend who was hit broadside in a Volvo by an F350 going about 40mph and walked away, I think holding some standard of safety and design for a manufacturer is not sour grapes. And why a elegantly designed car should not have a rational or causal connection to smooth operation and protection from impact is beyond me.

 

>>Hey, look, I didn't write the report. Who ever funds the tests, and for whatever reason, it is still a nominally consistent measure of cosmetic damage, which is a useful thing to know. Buy why we think that bumpers should do little more than that is another discussion. Having seen photos (of the car, with the side collasped so far in that they could stand inside the valley and still be inside the outer edge of the front and read fenders) of a friend who was hit broadside in a Volvo by an F350 going about 40mph and walked away, I think holding some standard of safety and design for a manufacturer is not sour grapes. And why a elegantly designed car should not have a rational or causal connection to smooth operation and protection from impact is beyond me.


I agree. Unfortunately these tests are funded by the insurance industry and they'll be used against consumers in order to have further justification to jackup insurance premium costs in the near future.

VW/Audi products of late have pretty strong bumper systems but the car themselves are of dubious reliability. As much as I like the looks of the current Audi A4 sedan and wagon, I would not get near one with a 20 foot pole due to their less than stellar reliability.

Too bad, VW/Audi can make great bumpers but can't seem to get past blatant electrical problems, rattles, failing power windows notors, failed engine sensors and the like.

 

I'm too lazy to run get my window sticker from the safe, but I thought the MINI's bumper was tested to 2.5MPH instead of 5 MPH, if someone has it handy feel free to check.

X2

_________________
Pure Silver and Black, Cooper S. Sport, Premium and Cold, no hood stripes.

<IMG SRC="http://members.jenzabar.com/Marlon_M....jpg">

 

X2,

Just happened to have it right here ..... 2.5 mph is the magic speed.

_________________
cb


Greta...DS "S", premium, cold, 17s on all seasons, DSC, fogs, lapis blue leather, chrome mirrors

 

>>X2,
>>
>>Just happened to have it right here ..... 2.5 mph is the magic speed.
>>
>>_________________
>>cb
That is a relief. I always drive into things fast.

"It's attracting a lot of attention for distinctive styling," Lund said, "but the bumpers aren't praiseworthy." from CNN article...
But the monkey says they are spongeworthy...

 

>>OK, EVERYBODY! NOW HEAR THIS!
>> ... don't bump nothin' ... !





'tis my goal, friend. 'tis my goal!!!

 

MINIs can go 5-10 mph?!?!?! Mine only goes 75 and up!

 

>>Hey, look, I didn't write the report. Who ever funds the tests, and for whatever reason, it is still a nominally consistent measure of cosmetic damage, which is a useful thing to know. Buy why we think that bumpers should do little more than that is another discussion. Having seen photos (of the car, with the side collasped so far in that they could stand inside the valley and still be inside the outer edge of the front and read fenders) of a friend who was hit broadside in a Volvo by an F350 going about 40mph and walked away, I think holding some standard of safety and design for a manufacturer is not sour grapes. And why a elegantly designed car should not have a rational or causal connection to smooth operation and protection from impact is beyond me. >>


You are missing the point. How do you know they are not skewing the data, altering the parameters to make the cars perform bad in the test? You don't... They are in the business to make money, and that money comes from your pocket.
Again, they are not an independent testing authority and any output they have should be regarded with as much authority as you would assign to Ms. Cleo in the event she should decide to branch out of the fortune telling biz..

 

I have always preferred the'hustle' over the 'bump-er' anyways!!
Motor On!!

 

>>I do not have to worry about slow speed bumper damage. My MINI doesn't like going slow so therefore CNN and can stick that report in Ted's $$$ stuffed pocket.

 

 

I donno...$800 isn't really all that bad for body work. Fact is that if you hit a pole even at low speed you're likely to scrape and/or puncture the plastic skin that covers the bumpers of most cars. In the case of a puncture, you're facing replacement of the skin (and $500 isn't at all unreasonable for an exterior part the size of a bumper skin) and paint (to paint the plain plastic to your body color...and $300 - $500 is in line there too). And even if it's only a scrape, there's still several hundred in paint. I've unfortunately had this problem with several other cars, and that's just the way it is. Even cosmetic paint and body work is expensive. The fact that MINI parts are still rather rare will definitely add to the cost. And in fact, this "high cost" issue is likely as much a factor of body part availabilty than anything else.

What you REALLY want to avoid is a car where a low impact crash results in body damage beyond the bumper...and from what I can tell, this ISN'T a problem with low speed impacts in the MINI (as opposed to the Toyota in the Quicktime...which I believe will need a new trunk lid and perhaps several tail lights!).

As it's been said, the best rule is not to hit anything...and if you do (hit a stationary object), hope that it takes more of the impact than your car.

(There! A long post on a boring subject...just 'cause I bypassed the entire NYIlus flame last night )

 

I think they fail to realize, MINI owners are a different breed.

1. we won't let our cars roll into anything at 5MPH.

2. Most of us park as far away from ordinary -all other- cars as possible, so the chance of some other person doing damage to the car is almost nil.

So the test is irrelevant to most of us, and they had better not try to raise my insurance rates based on it. Has anyone ever won a class action lawsuit against the insurance industry?

X2

 

>>>>>>
>>"It's attracting a lot of attention for distinctive styling," Lund said, "but the bumpers aren't praiseworthy." from CNN article...
>>But the monkey says they are spongeworthy...
>>
>>

Now THAT's funny. Although I'm still in the dark about the whole monkey obsession!

I like nobull's response - My MINI doesn't go slow either!