What makes a safe vehicle?

[KCcarguy]

Hey guys. My wife commutes on a busy interstate with our two young children and after being spooked more than a few times by the wild antics of her fellow commuters she's asked me to find her "the safest vehicle I can buy". My budget is about $50k. I've been looking at safety ratings online and can't help but wonder how much they are influenced by political correctness. I have trouble believing that a midsole car can have higher ratings than a large BOF SUV. To me, mass and height are king....am I wrong?

I might be a little biased in my own desires here, but I would imagine about the safest car she could drive would be a LC200/ LX570. Between the mass, over-engineering, powerful engine and good handling for a full size SUV, I think it's my pic. I may also look at GX460s. Am I off-base here with my choices? What would you guys go with and why?

Also considering a sequoia, expedition, X5, Tahoe.....GL Mercedes and LR4 are also on the list but I have reliability concerns.

 

[2014 Warthog]

Hey guys. My wife commutes on a busy interstate with our two young children and after being spooked more than a few times by the wild antics of her fellow commuters she's asked me to find her "the safest vehicle I can buy". My budget is about $50k. I've been looking at safety ratings online and can't help but wonder how much they are influenced by political correctness. I have trouble believing that a midsole car can have higher ratings than a large BOF SUV. To me, mass and height are king....am I wrong?

I might be a little biased in my own desires here, but I would imagine about the safest car she could drive would be a LC200/ LX570. Between the mass, over-engineering, powerful engine and good handling for a full size SUV, I think it's my pic. I may also look at GX460s. Am I off-base here with my choices? What would you guys go with and why?

Also considering a sequoia, expedition, X5, Tahoe.....GL Mercedes and LR4 are also on the list but I have reliability concerns.

Well there are kind of two sides to the safety question.

One is "How safe is it if you get hit?". Which the larger vehicles come out on top. But the other question is, "How safe are they to drive?"

That second question gets ignored for the first a lot. Very large vehicles are very heavy and inertia is not their friend. they can seem easy to handle because they have good power and good breaks, but when it comes time to avoid an accident, a too fast jerk on the steering wheel can send them tumbling or smashing into things that a car with a lower center of gravity would easily have avoided.

TONS of people roll their SUVs from erratic steering and going too fast because the vehicle "feels safe" to drive.

So... the safest vehicle would be somewhere in the midrange I would think to balance out both of those concerns.

 

[KidVermicious]

The safest vehicle is the one with an alert and decisive and predictable driver behind the wheel.

With respect, teach your wife to have a little confidence in her ability as a driver, or take public transport. It sounds like she's probably timid and overdefensive, and that makes her unpredictable, and that's not safe for anybody.

 

[JBecker]

Like was said above, the SUV's higher CG and increased weight mean they aren't the safest of vehicles to drive.

Maybe something like a BMW 5 series wagon, or an Audi A6 Avant would be a good choice? They have outstanding safety ratings, have plenty of cargo room for a family of 4, and they are fun to drive. Yeah they are wagons (to some this is a turnoff), but they just make sense.

Too bad we don't get the Audi RS6 Avant in the states. Twin turbo V10 and 550 plus hp anyone?

 

[T4R2014]

I would give the LR4 a look. Land Rover's are much more reliable than they were a few years ago. In my personal experience with an LR3 I think that this is true since I have yet to be stranded on the side of a road in 7 years. I know many others that can only say positive things about the LR3 and LR4. The LR4 is a great upgrade to the LR3 and I have heard that they have been more reliable. Yes, they require maintenance; but what do you expect from a large luxury vehicle from the UK? In terms of safety they have all the modern safety feature. Front airbags, side airbags, traction control, yada yada yada. You can install an ARB bull bar if you really want that extra precaution.

 

[MyHigh]

Dodge mega cab

But that's unreasonable

 

[Quatre Coureur]

My sister got a Subaru Outback 3.6R. It has a great safety rating, all-wheel drive, comfortable ride, and a s-load of power! Drove it to Tahoe. It was by far the most enjoyable drive I've ever made to Tahoe. fwiw

 

[91'4bee]

Safest vehicle? In my opinion I think I would go with a Subaru of some sort, because they have AWD and low CoG but I am always biased towards big vehicles because they would win in a boxing match on the freeway.

Speaking of Center of gravity I swerved in my 4runner(2nd gen) to not rear end someone at a stop light and a sharp turn at 40mph only yielded screeching tires and 3 wheelin it across the intersection didn't roll it so I think the big fella upstairs was looking out for me on that one.

 

[1engineer]

F=ma friend. That's for hitting. To get hit my practical pick would be that Volvo XC something or other. Volvo really designs their vehicles to take a hit. Believe it or not safety factored into my decision to get back in a 4Runner. Heavy, full frame and lots of airbags make for a pretty safe vehicle. The LC would be better but 50K is your cutoff. Anyway, the 4Runner was my pick from a safety, offroading, on road, pickup truck with a topper kind of selection that could haul people as well as lockable stuff.

 

[KCcarguy]

Thanks for the replies guys. I think the AWD crossover> BOF SUV argument works in theory.....In reality, if you have no room to make evasive maneuvers in busy traffic, it negates that advantage. I think our answer might be somewhere in the middle. Maybe a large unibody like a X5 or Volvo XC that would still handle and break well. We still might take a look at lightly used Land Cruisers and LXs.

 

[T4R2014]

Or get the LR4 and have the best of both worlds. It has both chassis types in one vehicle!

 

[541joseph]

Thanks for the replies guys. I think the AWD crossover> BOF SUV argument works in theory.....In reality, if you have no room to make evasive maneuvers in busy traffic, it negates that advantage. I think our answer might be somewhere in the middle. Maybe a large unibody like a X5 or Volvo XC that would still handle and break well. We still might take a look at lightly used Land Cruisers and LXs.

Don't go with euro made cars. Get her a lc put a bfb on it sliders and a rear bumper. Little lift and bigger tires make it look as mean as possible and no one will mess with her and it's a safe car still

 

[KCcarguy]

Or get the LR4 and have the best of both worlds. It has both chassis types in one vehicle!

I think the LRs are sexy as hell, but I'm not willing to roll the dice on reliability.

Don't go with euro made cars. Get her a lc put a bfb on it sliders and a rear bumper. Little lift and bigger tires make it look as mean as possible and no one will mess with her and it's a safe car still

Ha. I think that would be overkill. She doesn't want to go that far. She just wants something safe but within reason.

 

[CXS]

I trust this info: News releases

After my wife's car was totaled (Corolla) she wanted the safest car around and got a Volvo that was a tank. After she got over the scare of driving she hated it. Don't go overboard and end up with something she'll dislike in the name of safety.

 

[02SE]

I would give the LR4 a look. Land Rover's are much more reliable than they were a few years ago. In my personal experience with an LR3 I think that this is true since I have yet to be stranded on the side of a road in 7 years.

I'd say you've been extremely lucky. I have quite a few friends that are still in the consumer car repair business. One of which is a Tech at a Land Rover Dealership. They like Rover's because they say with those around, they'll never hurt for billable hours.

OP, I'd look at a lightly used Cruiser or LX570.

 

[T4R2014]

I'd say you've been extremely lucky. I have quite a few friends that are still in the consumer car repair business. One of which is a Tech at a Land Rover Dealership. They like Rover's because they say with those around, they'll never hurt for billable hours.

OP, I'd look at a lightly used Cruiser or LX570.

You may be right. I will say that compared to the Discovery II's, the D3's and D4's are way more reliable. The old 4.6 they used would often suffer from slipped cylinder liners. Outdated junk. I also know one person who told me that his Range Rover Supercharged (2009) would not start after his wife put regular fuel in it. They are still far from being a Land Cruiser in terms of reliability. If OP wants a Land Cruiser then I can recommend the UZJ100. It's older but it does not have the bloated Highlander-looking aesthetics or the cheap interior feel.

 

[BrianSD_42]

As I understand it US safety ratings are basing on the vehicle hitting an object, not an object hitting the vehicle.

These are two very different things and explain why a Honda civic and a Tahoe can have similar quality crash test ratings (just an example) despite one vehicle weighing 2x the other.

So if you are worried about the wife being hit then a Ford F350 or Suburban would be awesome at protecting her although the ratings might not imply that on paper. Basically a Fiat or a smart car can get a great rating despite being fragile and crushable.

 

[sickk21]

Volvo. Nuf said.

I don't think any BMW (X5) is particularly safer than any average joes car.

 

[Doc2012]

Get her one of these.

 

[slapdappy]

Volvo xc 70. Such a nice car to drive. comfy, quick, solid, quiet, AWD. Sits a bit higher than a regular car. Responsive handling and braking will increase her safety more than mass. The mass of a large SUV hinders the handling. Being able to avoid a collision by driving around it, stopping quickly, or accelerating away is safest scenario. The Volvo has the structural and airbag stuff to protect them if needed.
They really do refine passenger protection. The attention to detail is amazing. As an example, the doors are designed to NOT crush little fingers when slammed shut. My nephew was spared the pain and damage because the door seals are rubber gasket on rubber gasket.