We now know, accordingto the boffins at Thatcham Research, just what the safest car in the UK is.
I was thinking that it could be one of those barn finds we see, so many of which have not turned a wheel in decades. Instead, the title belongs to the Volvo XC90. Apparently, since it was launched in 2002 and after 50,000 have been sold, no driver or passenger has been killed inside one.
Jolly well done to Volvo, which has had a commitment to keeping its customers safer for generations. It has also cultivated a civilised, middle-class image that I think helps keep us all safe and sound.
Find a used Volvo XC90 for sale on PistonHeads
The secret of the big V’s success in the real world is the early adoption of hazard-detection technology that warns drivers of possible collisions. Maybe artificial intelligence in the form of Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), which automatically applies the car’s brakes, is the main explanation, and it can be found on plenty of cars, especially Germans, these days. Perhaps that’s the sort of used motor we should be targeting?
Starting small, a Kia Picanto 1.25 2 from 2016 will have AEB. I found a 2016 example with just over 40,000 miles and a full service history for £7490.
Then there is the Fiat Tipo, which you might remember from the 1980s, except that a less boxy version bounced back into the showrooms recently, which you may not have noticed – perhaps because most cars these days now look like Kias. Anyway, a 1.6 MultiJet has AEB and a 2017 with fewer than 5000 miles is £9450. Actually, there are lots in circulation right now. You would probably be a lot happier with a Ford Focus or a Vauxhall Astra, but a Tipo would at least be different.
As you might expect, Renault is very active in this safety market and there are lots of 2017 Scenics around, which will keep you out of trouble. For £15,300, you will get a 1.5 dCi Energy with around 6000 miles. Actually, with a Dynamique, you get a whole suite of fatigue alert and pedestrian detection systems.
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2.2 tons
I'd think the key factor is the crazy mass of these 'luxury SUVs', which carve through and kill anyone unfortunate enough to be in their pathway (who is not in a HGV).
As demonstated in this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-GTTdnpGNg
Smash up
I wonder what the result would be with a S 80 chassis. It is not a lightweight car by any stretch of the imagination. There was no V80 built on the P2 platform.
Agreed
Yes, the XC90 driver who barged me out of lane seemed over-confident in driving such a large, high, robust, resilient and safe car. Lost his no-claims bonus though, and didn't seem to come out of it that well - it not mattering if the the proliferation of plastics surrounding modern cars is on a Volvo or a Dacia, still break / scratch / crack & VERY expensive to replace & paint.
Ramble, ramble....
I am sure James Ruppert is a lovely chap but for years now he has been turning out these totally random and unfocussed articles about used cars, from which even I learn very little new.
Used car articles should be targeted on the a specific car or type of car that is of interest to the specific requirements of specific buyers, with all the relevant details, prices, availability, reliability, known faults, strengths, weaknesses etc clearly stated in structured format that you don't have to trawl through to find the pertinent details.
Sorry James but as a subscriber I expect more and this has been highlighted by the recent Pistonhead articles appearing in Autocar recently.
chilly wrote:
Exactly, you've hit the nail on the head. The other guy John Evans does a better job at that sort of thing.
I miss John Coates
Another Ruppert article with patchy knowledge. Mk1 XC90 never had any of those autonomous safety systems.
Disappointing piece
Agreed. A poor piece of journalism. Maybe it got cut down from a longer, more accurate, article in the magazine.