Car vs SUV safety

[Piper2022]

Like alot of you guys I live in a real setting which requires commuting a decent distance for work every day. I personally drive 350 miles per week for work. I am a recent college grad and before I got out of school I drove the old family 2500 suburban. I loved it, other that the fuel costs it was excellent. I could throw almost anything in the back of it and I never put enough miles on it to care about fuel consumption. For the last 2 years since I started my full time job I have been driving a 05 outback. It just threw a connecting rod through the block so I am on the hunt for a new vehicle. I will put a used engine in the Subaru at some point but I am pretty pissed it blew at 140k.

Now car/truck/suv shopping has got me thinking about what to buy next. As much as I should buy a small commuter car I just can't get myself to drive a small car. There have been a ton accidents near me that have got me thinking about a safe ride. Last summer a girl in my town crossed the centerline for "unknown" reasons and hit a motorcyclist killing him and injuring his wife. I drove by this accident last winter right after it happened and I still have it in the back of my mind. This is 5 mins from my place http://bangordailynews.com/2013/01/...ng-raymond-crash-treated-for-fractured-skull/







I know it's a older model compact car but it was literally torn apart when it was hit by a pickup.

I was arguing with a friend from highschool who is one of those completely paranoid gun guys who concealed carries almost 24/7 and truly thinks he needs it to save his life someday. I understand carrying but we live jn maine. I personally feel the same way about driving larger well designed vehicles. The chances of getting hit by some 16 year old texting is much greater.

It comes down to the simple physics of f=ma. No matter how many airbags a new ford fiesta has when a 2700lbs car collides with a 6000lbs Tahoe the energy has to go somewhere.

How many of you guys drive large vehicles to help keep you and/or your family safe?

I don't plan on getting anything too crazy for a new rig, maybe an 09 tacoma, or a 4 runner. Although my dream vehicle would be a new Ltz Burban.

 

[Looking4new]

I've got a 2001 Jeep Wrangler Sport and as far as I am concerned it is great! Fuel mileage is so-so but I don't worry much about going where I want in any kind of weather or road conditions as long as I use my head. My commute is 175 miles one way. I only do the round trip once every two weeks. If I had to get another vehicle I would probably take a good hard look at a ford F-250 4X4.

 

[dave1949]

Those cross the centerline crashes just keep happening lately in Maine. It is getting a bit spooky. I don't think there is any question you are safer in a larger vehicle overall.

For the miles you are commuting and the driving conditions in winter, I don't think there are any really good mileage (mpg) cars that will work for you year-round. We have a Honda Civic that gets 40 mpg highway but it's not a Maine winter car. Too light to cut through slush and deep snow pack, plus a little squirrely on slippery stuff. There is a basic mismatch between a small light car and Maine road conditions, like the 3" tall ice ridges we had along the lane edges this year. Those aren't much of an issue with a larger, heavier vehicle.

I would look for 4x4 or at least AWD. Lots of people drive Subaru's around here, they seem to be a good compromise. Sorry yours broke.

 

[s219]

Large by itself does not mean safe -- I'd feel safer in a modern compact than a 70's barge in most crash scenarios. Then there's the matter of hitting an immovable object, like a bridge abutment or big tree. If safety is important, consider the crash ratings of the vehicles you are looking at, not just size.

 

[Soundguy]

Now car/truck/suv shopping has got me thinking about what to buy next. As much as I should buy a small commuter car I just can't get myself to drive a small car. There have been a ton accidents near me that have got me thinking about a safe ride..

my daily ride is a 99 f350 7.3psd DRW I feel quite safe in it. Guy in a half ton tapped me at a redlight a year ago.. looked like he had driven into a brick wall at highway speed. Put a quarter sized dent in my metal bumper. I got to work a few minutes late .. he , i don;t think was able to drive the vehile from the scene.

i bought my wife an econo car in 09.. kia rio.. she was at a redlight car hit her from the rear.. totaled rio.. no damage to car that hit her. suv in front of her that she got pushed into had a 400$ bumper cover damaged.

I hope to never drive a crackerbox again. My wife started driving her 2000 yukon again after that.

while you might be safe in those tin cans where 100% of the car is a crumple zone .. that's all and well.. but a fender bender totaling a car? really. I like my big truck... i don't mind if the little car crumples up all over my bumper cuz the other driver was looking at his gps....

 

[Piper2022]

Getting to s219's post that is one of the main reasons I bought the subaru I have now. It was the first year to have side airbags and a 5 star crash rating. As much as I use to love my 99 suburban alot of those older vehicles they don't do as well as some would think when hitting an immobile object.

I have thought about a newer small suv like a rav4, crv, highlander, etc. As non manly as are they make sense. Basically an awd car that sits higher up and has more space.

 

[dave1949]

Our other car is a '07 Ford Sport Trac 4x4. I always thought they were pretty goofy vehicles but when I looked at what we need it for, it was a good choice.

They seat four comfortably, four doors. Ours is used to haul our two dogs, I took the backseat out. The mini bed in back is ideal for hauling 5 gal. jugs of diesel and gas, running stuff to the recycle center. The locking, folding tonneau cover is nice. With the tailgate down, it will haul 8' boards, 12' with a $90 bed extender. Decent towing capacity.

It's not a real truck, but it does 90% of what people typically do with a pickup. Mileage isn't great. Maybe 21-22 mpg highway on a good summer day. 16-18 mpg for winter short trips. Heavy enough to go good in snow.

 

[s219]

Getting to s219's post that is one of the main reasons I bought the subaru I have now. It was the first year to have side airbags and a 5 star crash rating. As much as I use to love my 99 suburban alot of those older vehicles they don't do as well as some would think when hitting an immobile object.

I have thought about a newer small suv like a rav4, crv, highlander, etc. As non manly as are they make sense. Basically an awd car that sits higher up and has more space.

If you are used to Subaru AWD, many of the others will be a disappointment -- they are basically FWD with a part time AWD that kicks in under slippage. I had 5 Subarus and loved them all in winter weather; the Honda and Toyota AWD vehicles we've owned were real dogs in comparison. Still much better than 2WD, but not as great as the Subarus. The Honda/Toyota/etc vehicles were nose-heavy FWD platforms adapted to AWD. Next new vehicle, I definitely plan to go back to Subaru. The new Foresters look pretty nice. Waiting to see how the new Outbacks will look (2015 models will be all-new I believe). Of course, I also want a full-size pickup too.... Need to get the wife on board with a new two-vehicle plan....

 

[Tollster]

I am very rural as well, but split my commuter trips with an adventure motorcycle to conserve fuel cost when I can... when its your time to go, it doesn't matter what you are going to be driving.. scrub the paranoia and live.

You have more of a chance of hitting a moose, just remain aware and cognizant of your surrounds and the other guy.. Vary your route from time to time, and be aware of those MORE deadly spots on highways if you can, we all know where they are, if you don't, you need to make yourself more aware.
I said "more" because they all are, but some more than others.

If I lived in jersey, well, I would drive a tank!

 

[JDgreen227]

MY primary ride is a Y2K Yukon XL 2500...full frame and a lot of weight, although it sucks gas I feel much safer driving it than I do my car ('04 Saturn L-300). Sad thing is, no matter how big your vehicle is you are at the mercy of the capability of other drivers. When there was an ice storm in mid-Michigan a week before Christmas last year and the power was out everywhere, it amazed me how many idiots would go through the unlighted traffic signals like they had a green light when they should have treated such a situation like a 4-way stop. I started a thread elsewhere on TBN about moronic drivers...I see a LOT of those turds no matter where I go.