fishhyren11
02-08-07, 09:38 AM
August 1, 2007 Wednesday 6:49 AM EST
SECTION: AUTOS
LENGTH: 616 words
HEADLINE: Luxury car, crummy bumper
BYLINE: By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNNMoney.com staff writer
In tests designed to replicate low-speed impacts, the bumpers of several luxury cars failed to prevent costly damage. In one case, a Mercedes-Benz C-class sedan sustained almost $5,500 in damage when hit in its front bumper at a speed of just 6 miles per hour.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted four separate low-speed impact tests on 11 popular luxury cars.
The cars struck a barrier, designed to mimic the bumper of another car, straight-on from the front and from the rear at six miles per hour and diagonally into front and rear corners at three miles per hour. The Institute, a private organization funded by insurance companies, estimated repair costs after each test.
"[W]hat the test results don't reflect is the Mercedes-Benz holistic approach to occupant safety," Mercedes-Benz said in a statement. "This philosophy influences design and development even down to the front bumper, which is specifically mounted lower to help reduce injury for impacts with pedestrians (to avoid contact above the knee)."
The C-class performed poorly in large part because its front bumper slid down below the impact barrier during the test.
The vehicle sustaining the most total damage was the Infiniti G35, made by Nissan, which had total estimated repair costs of $14,000. In the straight-on front impact test alone, the G35 sustained $5,223 in damage.
"The cost of vehicle ownership and repair are important considerations at Infiniti," Nissan said in a statement. "We design each new model to resist low-speed collision damage and will continue to work closely with major insurance companies to keep premiums low for our customers."
The Insurance Institute's tests do not reflect likely real-world results, Nissan said.
The best-performing vehicle in the test was the Saab 9-3. Its total estimated repair costs for all four tests was $5,243, less than what the Mercedes-Benz would have cost to fix after just one front impact.
Found:
http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.asp?a=top_pc&q=0&id=83061
SECTION: AUTOS
LENGTH: 616 words
HEADLINE: Luxury car, crummy bumper
BYLINE: By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNNMoney.com staff writer
In tests designed to replicate low-speed impacts, the bumpers of several luxury cars failed to prevent costly damage. In one case, a Mercedes-Benz C-class sedan sustained almost $5,500 in damage when hit in its front bumper at a speed of just 6 miles per hour.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted four separate low-speed impact tests on 11 popular luxury cars.
The cars struck a barrier, designed to mimic the bumper of another car, straight-on from the front and from the rear at six miles per hour and diagonally into front and rear corners at three miles per hour. The Institute, a private organization funded by insurance companies, estimated repair costs after each test.
"[W]hat the test results don't reflect is the Mercedes-Benz holistic approach to occupant safety," Mercedes-Benz said in a statement. "This philosophy influences design and development even down to the front bumper, which is specifically mounted lower to help reduce injury for impacts with pedestrians (to avoid contact above the knee)."
The C-class performed poorly in large part because its front bumper slid down below the impact barrier during the test.
The vehicle sustaining the most total damage was the Infiniti G35, made by Nissan, which had total estimated repair costs of $14,000. In the straight-on front impact test alone, the G35 sustained $5,223 in damage.
"The cost of vehicle ownership and repair are important considerations at Infiniti," Nissan said in a statement. "We design each new model to resist low-speed collision damage and will continue to work closely with major insurance companies to keep premiums low for our customers."
The Insurance Institute's tests do not reflect likely real-world results, Nissan said.
The best-performing vehicle in the test was the Saab 9-3. Its total estimated repair costs for all four tests was $5,243, less than what the Mercedes-Benz would have cost to fix after just one front impact.
Found:
http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.asp?a=top_pc&q=0&id=83061