Saftey Comparison

[FelixPaden]

Hi everyboy.

In April my lovely mother will be purchasing me a car. A new car which I want to be a BMW 2006 325xi Sedan. Only problem, she is concerned about saftey. She feels that the Volvo S60. I was hopeing that you fellow BMW supporters could help me prove this to my mother.

---Thank you Felix Paden

 

[tazza0712]

Well congrats on getting the new car. I don't think there is much the S60 would have on top of the BMW. A Volvo, a BMW??? NO question about it mate. BMW wins! Safety wise, Volvo's really can't be too far ahead in what they do over BMWs, I know they have an array of safety features, but so does the Bimmer, 8 airbags, DSC, all-wheel drive with the model you want... some other stuff like the whole brake pressure thing, ABS... everything that is to be expected, as well as a 5star safety rating. BMW is also dynamically superior to the Volvo. The Volvo is front wheel drive??? I think it is, which some say is better for younger drivers, but honestly, an all wheel drive kicks a front wheeler in the safety stakes. Get the Bimmer man, you'll love it.

 

[coopernicus]

When I learned how to drive, my first car was a Volvo 240 Turbo. Then when I got into college, my parents gave me a 528i. I drove that car until I finished medical school, over 150k miles, several fender benders, where my car always came out of it on top, nobody ever got hurt. These days, both BMW and Volvo have similar passive safety features (belts, bags, chassis crumple zones) but BMW's superior handling and active safety features will help you get out of situations that would otherwise result in an accident. I don't know if there is any side-by-side S60 vs E90 safety comparisons. I am surprised to find that the E90 is slightly heavier, curb weight 3500 vs 3300 lbs, so in terms of pure physics, higher mass wins in a collision.

 

[adrean8j]

This is for the wagon version but i think it is a pertinent press release from BMW:

"Safety engineering and features: improving on a star performer

New Head Protection System (HPS). The first front-to-rear Head Protection System to be offered in the 3 Series employs a curtain-type system, which takes up less space in the headliner and can remain inflated for several seconds after deployment, especially important in case of rollover.

New seat-mounted front side-impact airbags. The 3 Series is BMW's first to employ seat-mounted side-impact airbags, as opposed to the door-mounted type of the predecessor and other current Series. In their function of protecting occupants' pelvis and thorax regions in side impacts, the seat-mounted airbags are equal to the door-mounted type, but offer greater freedom for the interior designers to achieve their functional and esthetic goals.

Automatic safety-belt tensioners and force limiters front and rear. Long standard on BMW front safety belts, these features now enhance the outboard rear belts' effectiveness as well.

New occupant-detection sensor. BMW has long employed a sophisticated electronic control strategy for managing the deployment of airbags and safety-belt tensioners. This approach to optimal effectiveness of safety systems now becomes even more precise, thanks to a new sensing mat in the front passenger seat. Called OC3, the mat is more highly sophisticated than its predecessor; it measures the weight and analyzes the pressure distribution of the occupant in order to distinguish between an adult and an infant in a child safety seat. The front passenger's airbags will be deactivated, should the driver install a forward-facing infant safety seat.

New features for protecting the driver's feet and knees. Two measures have been taken to reduce the likelihood of injuries to the driver's feet and legs:

- The footrest is designed to crush under the force of the driver's left foot in certain frontal impacts, so that the full impact force is not transmitted to his or her foot and leg.
- The Mastervac (brake master cylinder) is mounted so that as the front end deforms, it rotates, and with it the brake and clutch pedals. The pedals move forward, canceling much of the force transfer to the driver's feet and legs if they are on the pedals.
And for the first time, the 3 Series Sports Wagon offers LATCH attachments on the front passenger's seat as well as the two outboard rear seats for optimum safety with up to three children in the car. "

 

[Mick]

I was talking to my dealer the other day and he told me the latest safety data shows that BMW's have surpassed Volvo's in terms of safety. I haven't seen the data, but he was pretty excited about it, indicating that BMW plans on launching a new ad campaign focused on this data.

 

[tazza0712]

In the old days when safety was some what of a bonus in cars, it's mostly expected and delivered, so I think Volvo has a dying case in saying they still have the safest cars around. They are only now trying to match others by making their cars safe AND fun, but they still have a fair way to go. Other manufacturers have been doing both, and are reaping the rewards in sales, ala BMW!