Hi!
I am about to purchase a Mini Cooper, but am concerned about the size and weight of the vehicle. Does anybody know if any safety data exists yet?
Does anybody else share this concern?

Thanks for corresponding with #1

 

>>Hi!
>>I am about to purchase.........concerned about the size and weight of the vehicle. Does anybody know if any safety data exists yet?
>>Does anybody else share this concern?>>

Sorry I don't have safety data; here's my opinion: Granted, it's a car both smaller and lighter than most vehicles it will share the road with, so assume that occupants may fare worse in an accident than those in some other cars. Make a list of priorities. If safety is at the top of the list, check out the 5 series BMW and others. If small size, performance, fuel economy, slot-car handling, and other Mini traits are at the top of the list, you're looking in the right direction. (The airbag system and the nimble handling may make up for the small size in certain hazardous situations, but no vehicle is perfect for everyone all the time). Good luck. Larry
P.S. I have an almost new Saab 95 wagon; it's considered a "safe" car in an accident. But now I'm trying to buy a Mini. Why? The Saab is heavy, steering is vague, braking is marginal. It's boring to drive; I never look forward to driving it. I believe the Mini will cure that boredom.

 

I'm buying a yellow one. Yellow is considered the safest color for any car. This one just happens to look really good in it too.

 

There is no published crash test data available that i can find anywhere.
This is the national highway and trasportation safety administration web site for mini with no data: http://www.nhtsa.gov/NCAP/Cars/1932.html
See the related post on "why no crash data" for a complete account of my own personal account of the situation.

 

Ok. The official word from mini is that the car will be tested later this year. Here is there response to my question: "Where's the crash data?"

"Thanks for writing in!

The MINI offers state-of-the-art safety equipment including 6 airbags. For the front seat passengers, there are two front and two side airbags. Additionally, for front and rear passengers there are two Advanced Head Protection System (HPSII) airbags which deploy from the headliner above the side windows.

The MINI is built on an ultra-rigid body structure. Advanced suspension designs enhance the road holding capabilities of the MINI Cooper. Advanced braking systems add "WHOA!" after the "GO!".

Four-wheel-disc Anti-Lock Braking (ABS), Corner braking control (CBC), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Flat Tire Monitor (No acronym for that one, whew!), Speed-Sensitive wipers, and an Automatic Anti-Theft Engine Immobilizer are standard features. An all season Traction Control System (TCS) is standard on the Cooper S.

You can order Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), and other amazing optional motoring features.

The MINI is scheduled to be crash tested for 2002. You can follow the government crash test results at:

http://www.nhtsa.gov/NCAP/Cars/1932.html

LET'S MOTOR."

p.s. i went to the miniusa web-site and sent them email...

 

ok so my dad finally drove my car after i had it for about a month (granted i did not let him know i bought a MINI for a while) and he loved it. he is very picky about cars, so i was pleased. unfortunately, my dad is the type that likes his american trucks. anyways...i went to visit him last night and he went on this rampage of how i have a nice car but i need to trade it because he saw some safety issue on tv about the MINI. i know nothing of this show. does anyone else? also, he just went on and on about how it is too small and other people can't see me and i would be dead if a big truck hit me. he wants me to get an suv (like my sister...who has two kids and keeps children as her job). I am 21 years old and i like to have a little fun. i do plan to purchase a nissan murano (or something like that) once i pay off my MINI, but that will be a while. he just frustrated me. sorry i used this as a venting mechanism, but what are your opinions?

thanks so much.

 

Holy thread revival! That's gotta be a record, 4 years, 2.5 months!

Yeah I know the feeling, my mom complains that on the highway, "No one will be able to see it, it's so small!" (And she's not kidding )

 

Airbag Warning Light Problems
We are a law firm investigating airbag problems in MINIs. MINI owners report that their airbag warning light illuminates and that their dealership cannot fix this problem. As a consequence these owners have had to return their MINIs to dealerships multiple times to deactivate their airbag warning light. If you have any information that you think would assist us in this investigation please email arz@girardgibbs.com or call us toll free at 1-866-981-4800 and ask to speak with Abe Zuckerman. Thank you.

The Dealer says there is nothing wrong with our air bag sensor in the passenger seat, so why does it cycle ON & OFF with my wife in the seat?

 

actually the MINI is a very rigid and safe vehicle...there have been numerous posts here with pictures and testamonials to the MINI's safety and crashworthiness...my dad also was concerned so I chronicled a sampling of posts...they are interesting reading...some of the pictures show how the passenger compartment remains intact in some pretty serious accidents...and it does do pretty well in Gov crash tests

here's my listing of MINI articles and pictures of accidents:


[SIZE=2]MINI Crashes and rollovers:


1) http://www.bridger.us/2002/12/16/Cra...operVsFordF150
2) http://davidrose.us/DavidWebPage/Cabriol/HB2/HB2.html roll over in snow...rolled back and drove away
3) http://www.mini2.com/galleries/showp...33519/cat/1564 roll over 3 times then he went out and bought another MINI
4) http://www.mini2.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1132996026 rolled over twice avoiding a deer
5) http://www.mini2.com/forum/general-d...-s-taiwan.html 120 mph in Taiwan spun around twice and rolled over
6) http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dl...73246647666617 left road at 60 mph, thru bushes into tree
7) https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...0&ppuser=18922 rolled over avoiding dog...looks amazing
8) http://www.gbmini.net/gallery/MINIvsDumpTruck/P1010122 vs dump truck....view of front of car
http://www.gbmini.net/gallery/MINIvsDumpTruck/P1010131 vs dump truck....view of passenger compartment
9) https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t=72203&page=2 50 mph head-on with a camaro hitting sideways....broken wrist
[/SIZE]

 

The MINI vs. dump trucks and vs. Camaro are nice feel good URLs. But don't expect the same outcome unless you have the exact same accident scenario. The MINI is rated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (iihs.org) as Good for the Frontal offset test and Acceptable for the Side impact test results. Following is the URL to the iihs.org test of the MINI:

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=303

The one thing that you can't do with the iihs.org test results is extrapolate to how the car would do in a crash vs. a larger (heavier) vehicle. A MINI vs. a heavier vehicle crash is generally going to be a worse outcome for the MINI, simply because of the greater mass of the larger vehicle (notwithstanding the above posts of the results from hitting dump trucks and Camaro). How to proceed? If the alternative is to get a truck, some of the more popular trucks haven't fared too well in the iihs.org tests. One example is the Chevrolet Silverado 1500. It got a Marginal for the Frontal offset test. (http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=424)

Separately, a truck isn't going to give you anywhere near the driving fun of a MINI. (Or the gas mileage....) Hope this helps.