I'd amend that to say that they "are no longer the death traps they are made out to be", but there are far many more of the older ones still on the road ready to kill their passengers under conditions where they would not be at risk simply because the design is terrible and too inconvenient for any company to do anything about. It is, of course, in the hands of those drivers to get rid of such unsafe vehicles, so I can't totally blame the manufacturers.

 

Five pages in one day on this topic.

The mini is by far safer than any SUV. The ability to manuver to AVOID the situation is great. And like others posted, look up the crash test results.

Also, here is a direct comparison between crash tests on the mini, and the ford F-150. This should change anyones mind on whether or not the mini is safe. Bigger definately does not mean safer.

http://bridger.us/2002/12/16/CrashTe...perVsFordF150/

 

Well, my X is a 2000 and it has all those safety features, so there might not be as many of the unsafe ones as there used to be...

 

Hi Rubbus,

I have a 2005 X and they faired a little better than the older models.

just curious.


If you were concerned about the size and didnt feel all that safe in the car, why on earth would you have bought it????
I would never buy a big ticket item (car,house) unless I was 100% positive about it.
JMTC

It was a total impulse buy.

 

A link to the original article that showed the Mini vs F150 is http://bridger.us/2002/12/16/CrashTe...perVsFordF150/
The site also has other good safety links such as http://www.gladwell.com/2004/2004_01_12_a_suv.html
Please read the articles. The likelyhood of being hurt in your SUV is most likely greater than your Mini.
Does your Mini have Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)?
If so, you are even that MUCH more likely being hurt in the SUV.
Now hopefully you won't be scared driving either vehicle!
I just ordered an 08 MCS and currently my dayly driver is a Chevy Avalance. I am sure I will have to remind myself of all the above stuff as well.
Good luck.

 

minis are tanks, i hit two trees and flew threw the air and wasnt hurt at all, if anything im scared to drive anything eles other than a mini.

 

No mater what vehicle you're in, none of them are worth a damn if you don't wear a seat belt. I am amazed at people (quite often Pick-up truck drivers) who think that because they are in a big vechicle they don't need to wear a seat belt. Without one you are often safer on a motor cycle wearing a helmet.

 

Not wearing a seatbelt - just means you're diving on a beachball from the roof of your house - don't miss and hit the patio.

 

I move between driving the MINI, my wife's '07 Toyota 4Runner Limited (our ski country warrior), my Toyota Tacoma pickup (my work truck), and (in season) a '75 Triumph TR6. Other than taking a bit of time to get used to having a lot of power in a front wheel drive car, the MINI feels the safest, and has the best crash safety test results of the fleet. With the DSC, side-curtain airbags, etc., you are driving one of the safest cars on the road. And, of course, the most fun car on the road as well. And golly gosh darnit, that last element really matters!

 

Yes, There are a percentage of drivers who believe that they are going to crash and they do.

 

As has been noted in this thread before, the best idea is still defensive driving and treating the road with respect. We've had several fatal accidents in the last year here in northern Alabama attributable to young folks treating speed and curves without respect. Maybe DSC would have saved them, but on the street no one should be relying on DSC to keep them out of trouble. Same with air bags, etc. The right answer is to drive defensively and responsibly.

Surprise causes most accidents. If someone wasn't surprised, they would have adjusted in time. If you drive next to the rear duals of a semi-trailer and get a retread in the face, it'll be a surprise. If you know that it could happen, you won't tarry there and--no surprise--you'll avoid the mess. If you enter intersections without glancing at cross traffic, you will be surprised one day. I see red light runners every week around here.

I tell my kids to drive so that they don't surprise anyone--including themselves. The MINI's safety features may save your butt one day, but the goal is to save the MINI from having to.

 

Sage advice that I need to keep remembering. The MINI seductively draws you into the speeding zone. Thanks for the good words.

 

two things to add...
My first car was a honda 600 as well, too bad my step-dad sold it before I got my license. Small chain driven convertible it was cool...

second thing
This summer my dad was involved in a horrific accident while driving his concrete truck. It's a massive semi truck, and he was driving on a freeway. He checked all his mirrors and nobody was there, he signaled, shoulder checked, checked his mirrors again and changed lanes. As soon as he did a loud screeching sound came from the front of his truck. A Yaris was sitting in his blind spot for who knows how long. He hit its back end, it came in front of him and he was pushing it along the freeway sideways. He hit the brakes when he realized what was up and the car squirted out the opposite side going the opposite direction. Nobody was hurt but the potential was there. He was scared to drive in the city and undoubtedly the driver of the Yaris learned never to drive in someone's blind spot again.

 

Isn't it the Yaris on TV that splits in two a creates 2 more Yarises? But seriously that’s a scary story!

 

My wife had a 1994 Isuzu Rodeo and compared to my MINI that thing was top heavy and scary to drive. She currently has a 2003 Nissan Murano and that thing drives like a car for the most part--but I still feel like I'm on top of the world when I drive and I'm sitting on the ground when I go back to my MINI.

A very good friend of mine was recently injured in an accident with her rental SUV. She thought she would be safer in a larger vehicle during the wet weather here in SoCal and she had to get to a meeting. Somebody side swiped her--her head hit the driver side window--breaking her nose and giving her a black eye--think the airbags played a part in this, and somehow she rolled--ended up with a concussion and a dislocated shoulder and a totalled rental car...yes she was wearing her seat belt and she came out alive---pretty battered and bruised though in a supposedly "safer" vehicle.

 

I personally detest the tipsy feeling and unsecure handling of most truck based SUVs. I have never liked the bouncy ride characteristics of vehicles with high center of gravity.

I have driven several SUVs from Tahoes, to Hummers and anything in between. I have never understood why people flock to these things. They have terrible handling dynamics, they feel ponderous, they take forever to stop, they feel unstable at highway speeds. I just don't get the whole fascination with trucks, sorry not for me,

I used to drive midsize and full size sedans. I feel more secure in my MINI than on any of those.

Actually, the MINI's ride height is pretty much akin to what you find on any compact or midsize sedan. Do you want to ride really low to the ground? Try any Mazda Miata, older Honda Civic/Accord or any other plethora of cars out there that ride much closer to the road than any MINI.

Nissan XTerra? Please that has to be one of the lousiest SUVs ever made by Nissan.

 

Have to agree with your assessment. I've got a 20yr old Chevy Astro van and a Mercury Grand Marquis. The Astro is a pleasure, but don't carry straight-line speed into a corner. But it did get me and five others all over Europe for four years comfortably.

The Mercury has such soft suspension that it's a pleasure to drive on long trips straight. Floats. Lots of power. On curves, however, it's a grandparents car and needs to be driven that way. My wife finds the floating can actually make her queasy.

She'll love the MINI.

 

On what do you base this statement?

 

I'm on my 2nd one xterra and it's by far one of the best for the money. my first gen (first model year) had some issues, but w/ the new motor, they're great.

 

I've had one since 2000- 170k miles and still going strong. Best car I ever had, including the two Honda Preludes.

 

I've pulled dead people from SUV's.
Trust me; SUV's lie to you. They whisper in your ear, "I'm big, therefore safe. I'm warm and high up."
But those tires are a compromise, the handling is for loads that you don't tote every day, and that ride height makes them tip-prone.

When I'm elected King, every SUV and pick-up owner will have to take & pass a specific driver's curriculum for that type of vehicle.

Motor on. Feel secure. Your MINI is whiptastic.

 

as a MINI driver, i'm sceeered of the SUV drivers....

 

As a motorcycle rider, I'm skeeered of ALL cage drivers!

 

Isn't this kind of the big point from the article in the Times?

*************************
In the parlance of the automobile world, the TrailBlazer is better at "passive safety. " The Boxster is better when it comes to "active safety," which is every bit as important.

*************************

Ironically I also drive a Ford F-150 and I was shocked at the crash photos. At leats my F-150 is the improved style being a 2004 with safety upgrades. The truck is mostly for hauling including towing my race trailer to the track and in that regards it is not the best (need something even bigger) but my daily driver currently is an Audi TT which I plan to sell once the Mini is in.

For sure I drive more defense oriented in the Audi - at least I am more aware of other, bigger vehicles around me.

 

I second this. During my days as a volunteer firefighter, I've seen several SUV accidents in wintertime where the driver totally overestimated the winter capacity of the vehicle. And pretty much every snowstorm here in NW Connecticut has a number of SUV crashes. Too many rollovers on top of it and typically the pilot in command is a clueless yuppie, soccer mom, or kid in dad's machine thundering along without a care in the world. Yikes.

We drive our '07 4Runner *very* defensively. On the way home from skiing today, with 2" of fresh snow on the ground (and on cold road surfaces), we had an Escalade come roaring up on our tail, pass us, and disappear in the snow ahead in a matter of a few seconds, and we were doing 50 on a 55 limit road. And the driver was yacking on the cell phone. Really really scary.

On the other hand, on a ski trip to Northern New Hampshire a few weeks ago, the 4Runner crossed the Moosilaukee Range on Rt 25 west of Lincoln with 10+ inches of unplowed snow on the road without a hitch. SUVs have their place, but you have to treat them with a lot of respect or they'll kill you. If snow travel and the hunger for powder skiing were not issues for us, there'd be a second MINI in the garage.