Do you feel safe in your versa? Why?

[BenDupre]

The Insurance Institute crash tests are coming out 14 December. ABC news will be doing a feature on that. Next Tuesday I will be asked this question:

Being in a small car, with so many gigantic SUVs out on the road... do you feel safe? Why? Concerning safety, why did you choose the Nissan Versa?

So far this is my answer and frankly it's kind of lame:

I think the side impact and curtain air bags make me feel safe, but it's a small car. small car vs. BIG CAR: small car always looses. What other reasons are there I should feel safe in my Versa?

Help me out.

Ben

[nissansalesman_wtx]

What I always use in my safety presentation for Nissan in general is as follows:

Nissan Designs their vehicles with what is called Zone Body Protection. Meaning that in the event of an accident whether it be frontal, side or rear the passenger zone is designed to stay intact with limited intrusion. They do this with several different methods. First and the most popular are the air bags you have driver, passenger, side curtain air bags these are all SRS airbags which are designed to deploy based on the severity of the accident. Also they have crumple zones under the hood in case of a frontal accident the engine is designe with liquid filled engine mounts that easily displace allowing the engine to drop down so it does not enter the passenger compartment. Each one of the crumple zones collapse with an accordian effect to absorb some of the impact of the accicident. The hood has metal hooks that catch and do not allow the hood to slide back into the glass but buckle like a big a-frame to protect against debris.Along the side there are 2 reinforced beams that don not allow the vehicle to buckle in half or give in so to speak. They limit side impact damage caused to the vehicle. There are also load pretensioners on the seatbelts, safety glass on the windows, fuel kill switches, a myriad of information to cover when doing a safety presentation.

[proxim2020]

Wow, that's a lot of information that I didn't know about. I wish you were my sales guy...lol. My sales guy just pointed out a bunch of little creature features and asked if I wanted a test drive

[versabundus]

Nissan and every other car on the road. None of this stuff is new or unique. SRS airbags? SRS means Supplemental Restraint System. ALL airbags are SRS, meaning that they are Supplemental to the seat belts. Not picking an argument, but the best addition to these, and all the other saftey systems is CAD. Careful, Attentive Driving.

[Ever Victorious]

Let me reiterate my unique position as a human crash test dummy on this one.

Let us please recall that a vehicle weighing fully twice what the Versa does hit me at 25 mph while I was at a dead stop, and threw me into a vehicle that weighs MORE than twice the Versa.

And I walked away without a scratch, and other than being really sore the next day, was able to go right back to work the day after.

Presentations can be very blah blah blah, marketing gimmick, blibbity blah. But when you get your butt smacked by a full size pickup and rammed into a full size SUV and you just walk off, it's all the presentation I needed.

I feel 100% safe.

[motoguy128]

The ability to avoid an accident is just as improtant as how well it performs when impacted. In a small car you're more aware of your surroundings, it's more nimble, responsive and stops better than larger vehicles. It's also shorter and narrower which statistically will reduce the opportunity for an accident... because the other vehicle is more likely you miss you.

I've never driven a pick-up or SUV, other than my parent's Highlander, that I felt as safe in as I do in a car. Most felt downright unsafe due to their sheer size, and lack of performance.

[cyberdeity]

Here's a good article that briefly describes the differences between the NHTSA and IIHS tests.

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/c...d=144

The NHTSA ratings for the Versa have been available for quite a while nowhttp://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ncap/cars/4145.html

Now, to answer your question about whether or not I feel safe in a small car? Absolutely!Why you ask? Because a small car is just as safe as any other size vehicle. Sure, you could hypothesize about the 'what if a tractor-trailer plows into me?' Sure, it's gonna demolish ya. But it would demolish a midsize, fullsize, etc as well - it's a matter of mass and physics.

Just to further elaborate on the 'safeness' of the Versa as compared to other size vehicles, I offer these brief NHTSA comparisons.

2007 Chevy Trailblazer received 3 star frontal crash rating for driver, 3 star rating for rollover on 2wd. The Versa received 4 stars on both ofthose tests. Should those SUV drivers really think they're any safer in that big vehicle?http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Cars/3926.html

2007 Chevy Uplander4 star front seat side-impact rating, 3 star rating for rollover. Once again, both ratings are below what the Versa received. Once again proves that size does not necessarily dictate safety.http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Cars/3910.html

2007 Chevy Monte Carlo3 star front seat side-impact rating. Why would anyone buy something with a 3 star side-impact rating? Ouch.http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Cars/3935.html

Ok, so I chose Chevy for my comparison. Maybe it was unfair of me to choose them But regardless, one could probably find lower-rated vehicles from other manufacturers as well.

[cyberdeity]

Oh, and for good measure, I thought of something else I should add.

While waiting on my Versa to come in, I'm currently driving a '98 Dodge Neon.http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ncap/Index2.cfm

You can see the terrible ratings it has, since it doesn't have any of the modern safety items, such as side-impact beams, curtain air-bags, etc.

So, small car safety has increased over the years right along with other size vehicles, making them just as safe (and most likely much safer than the old one you drove previously!)

[cireecnop1]

My V is a lot less safe than the A4 I got rid off. I can't stand the fact that this car doesn't have ABS. honestly can't wait for the day when I roll it or slam into another car and have the insurance pay it off and I can order another w/ABS and all the other goodies.

[proxim2020]

My V is a lot less safe than the A4 I got rid off. I can't stand the fact that this car doesn't have ABS. honestly can't wait for the day when I roll it or slam into another car and have the insurance pay it off and I can order another w/ABS and all the other goodies.

Need a little bit of insurance fraud? That could be arranged

But in all seriousness, I feel more safe in the V than in my truck. Because of the smaller vehicle, I was more aware of my surroundings, I could see things I couldn't in my truck, and I could make quick lane changes faster than my truck. When they redesigned my truck, they made the truck lower and wider to help prevent roll overs. This also helped make the truck able to change lanes faster with minimum roll. In the V I was able to make those same changes quicker with less roll. Being higher above ground makes you feel safer, but you're not. Size of the car doesn't matter because there's always something that's bigger than the vehicle you're in.

[Jemdawg]

Generally, smaller cars are built more safely than bigger ones, although it does have a lot to do with weight distribution. Has anyone seen the MINI Cooper and F150 comparison?

http://www.bridger.us/2002/12/...dF150

[sixdgrees]

Safety was #2 on my priority list when shopping for a car (it would have been number 1 if I had an unlimited bank account which is why $$ was in the top spot ).

I really liked the fact that the Versa came standard with all the air bags. Having been hit by a transport truck on the highway in my '96 Geo Metro some years back the memory of the grill off the truck hitting my drivers side window was very present as I selected the Versa. I have great confidence in small cars..... my Geo was demolished but I miraculously walked away (well more like crawled out of the mess of my car and then shakily shuffled away as I tried to convince myself that I was in fact alive ). So knowing that the Versa has even more safety features than my old Geo had I feel very safe in it.

[chano129]

I totally disagree with you, and agree with salesman,Nissan has improve alot on their whole body structure since 2002 and if you know Renault is the safest small cars inthe world, and they are nissan's smaller brother, things are alot different from 3or 2 years ago.These cars are much safer today,airbag or none, the Versa is built on the same platform and the the body structure similiar as the renault.The Tiida (Versa) had a rollover test in japan recently, any automaker can boast about safety but nissan went the extra mile and actually let people felt what it is like to rollover in a tiida,and people gave it a great pass mark.

further more to prove to you there are new technologys, in USA, the lane departure warning system available in the infiniti's and check the lexus LS 450.And soon in the nissans there is gone to be a 5 point collision system to aviod accidents by sides, front and rear and also an school zone alert that alert you that you are near a school ground, so please do some reading before you post next time.And if you notice these test were done in 2005 and know people are testing them publicly.

and here is my proof http://www.nissan-global.com/E....html

[chano129]

check this web page and read carefullyhttp://www.nissan-global.com/E....html

[proxim2020]

Generally, smaller cars are built more safely than bigger ones, although it does have a lot to do with weight distribution. Has anyone seen the MINI Cooper and F150 comparison?

Oh come on. That wasn't a fair test a all. Everyone knows Fords can't even stay together when driving down the road normally

[kc5f]

Well, the Ford Probe I had before my Versa held together just great for me for 240,000 miles, and my neighbor is still driving it! But I do feel much safer in the Versa with all of the new safety features, "standard" or not. It's just not as much fun to drive and only gets 32mpg, where the Probe averaged about 34mpg, however I drove it. It is, however, much more comfortable and my family can actually fit into it!

[versabundus]

check this web page and read carefullyhttp://www.nissan-global.com/E....html

So what's your point? I think everyone is improving . You quote a Vehicle Manufacturers site. Did you expect them to say that their cars are lacking? Do you think Any manufacturer would. I think Nissan has come a long way. But so have most other manufacturers. I just don't place undue trust in manufacturers or their agents.

[BenDupre]

Jemdawg - thanks for the article. I found that very interesting reading. The link to the New Yorker article is very informative: about how we perceive safety. It's amazing how good auto makeers are at pandering to their customer base, and how successful they have been at selling SUVs that "seem" safe even though they are not.

Thanks to all for the ideas and opinions about safety. Keep them coming. I'm starting to feel like I will be able to speak from authority in my interview.

Too bad if the story convinces anyone to go out and buy a Versa, they won't be able to get one.

Ben

[OKVersa]

I think this is a great topic.

I gave up my SUV for the Versa, and no, I don't feel as safe going down the highway in white-tailed deer country. I hit a deer in my 1997 Blazer and it didn't even dent the car. I managed to slow down to about 40 when I hit it.

My 2000 Jimmy had a guard on the front and I rarely worried about hitting a deer, although all Oklahoma rural drivers are trained to watch for deer at night. We watch all the time.

Hitting a deer in the Versa is going to major damage. I know that and it was a HUGE consideration. I did NOT want to give up an SUV. If we could have afforded it, I would have kept the SUV, but it made no sense to have both. We wanted an economical car for highway miles, so we got rid of the Jimmy.

As far as being hit by another car?

Well, let's get some perspective. Yes, we are low on the food chain here. But! Even in my SUV, there were bigger SUV's. AND an 18-wheeler beats an SUV. A train will wipe out the 18-wheeler.

Even if another Versa hits me it will depend on where I'm hit and how fast we are all going to know how much damage it will do. Had there been no side air bags, I wouldn't have bought it.

So my thought is that I'm as safe as I can be in a compact car driving defensively and always watching for deer and people pulling out from side roads.

That's the qualifier

[campersand]

If we could have afforded it, I would have kept the SUV, but it made no sense to have both. We wanted an economical car for highway miles, so we got rid of the Jimmy.

Just curious, did you consider a small SUV, like a Rav4 or CRV? They're rated for about 30mpg/highway.

[OKVersa]

We actually drove a CRV for 24 hours as a loaner for my son's car.

LOVED it.

It was a 2006 and rated 22/27. With the rebates, it would have been the same price as the Versa.

The problem was we were only gaining about 5 to 8 more MPG from our Jimmy. It wasn't really that comfortable on the highway, which really surprised me. It was really roomy, but it wasn't any more comfortable than what we had. However, we did have the "sport" model so maybe that was part of it. It was a AWD, not 4WD, so I would have thought it would be more comfortable.

Then, when we test drove the Versa and found out how quiet, comfortable as well as EXTREMELY roomy in the back (which was important to us), all the other vehicles we test drove were held up to that standard. Not even the Civic was that quiet and comfortable.

If I were going to get an SUV today, on a budget, and gas wasn't an issue, I'd get a Santa Fe. I've always loved them. I could have got a 2006 Santa Fe for the same price as the Versa, but I'm still not gaining much on the MPG from my Jimmy.

My DREAM car is a Lincoln Navigator, but since that isn't happening....

I'll be content in my magnetic gray CVT Versa

[campersand]

Yeah, (not to go too far off topic, but...) the '07 CRV and Rav4 are both rated a little higher than last year, closer to 30mpg. I drove both and really liked the Rav4. If it were the same price as a Versa I'd probably already have one, just due to the fact that I got sick of waiting for my Versa about 2 months ago. But they're a little out of my price range. So I wait...

[Ever Victorious]

Well, the Ford Probe I had before my Versa held together just great for me for 240,000 miles, and my neighbor is still driving it!

You mean the Mazda MX-6 you were driving...

Seems more often than not the best Ford products are the ones built by other manufacturers (Mazda, Kia, etc.) and sold under the Ford name.

Too bad if the story convinces anyone to go out and buy a Versa, they won't be able to get one.

Maybe true of individual configurations, but I'm now seeing a lot more SL's available. Mostly CVT's, a lot loaded. 6-speeds seem to be the rare commodity now.

Even if another Versa hits me it will depend on where I'm hit and how fast we are all going to know how much damage it will do. Had there been no side air bags, I wouldn't have bought it.

I can tell you exactly how much damage another Versa rear-ending you at 50 mph would cause. Go look at my damage pics. The F150 that hit me was almost EXACTLY twice the weight... and that was a 25 mph hit. Half the weight, double the speed, same force.

Oh, and the 06 Santa Fe was the last of the good ones. I've played around with the 07 because I thought my wife might like a slightly larger playtoy... but the 07 is a HUGE step backwards in basically every aspect, especially comfort. If the truck has a sunroof installed, I actually have to duck to keep from hitting my head, and there's only about as much rear legroom as a new Sentra. Yes, it has a HUGE cargo area that can have a 3rd row of seats put in instead, but criminy, it's small enough inside as it is... and it's a freaking BEAST outside. Plus they kept the old 3.5L V6 as opposed to putting in the new 3.3L VVT engine, which both puts out more power and is more efficient than the old engine. The Tucson is a FAR better pick from their current SUV line. I'd even pick (gak) the Entourage over the new Santa Fe.

[BenDupre]

The interview went well this morning. Watch for me on 14 December on ABC news with Charles Gibson. The producer said it would play in the AM and Evening news, barring bigger news bumping the story, which can always happen.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I feel like I was able to answer the questions inteligently.

Ben

[OKVersa]

I set the TIVO!

[campersand]

What is this hookup you have that you keep on getting interviewed about this car? Just curious.

[BenDupre]

NYT found me through my page on carspace (edmunds). The ABC producer found my name in the NYT article. One just parlayed into the other.

Bet on black and let it ride!

Funny thing is... I never would have asked for all the attention.

Ben

[Ever Victorious]

Yeah, suuure. What, were you planning on banking your 15 minutes or something?

[proxim2020]

Honda has Mr. Opportunity. Dodge has the HEMI Boys. We have Ben

[BenDupre]

Update - The IIHS delayed releasing their crash tests. If you're interested, look for the story on Tuesday 19th December on ABC evening news and on GMA. If there aren't any more delays from the IIHS or there isn't a terrorlst attack. This is not a "feature" story, it could get easily bumped by bigger news.

Ben