Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/22 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/22 for details.
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A $25K performance Ford
a $45K touring Ford
and an $80K exotic
hmmm.... is it a contest to figure out what they have in common??
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
Thanks!
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
Crash-Test Results Give All Cars
The Highest Rating for First Time
By KAREN LUNDEGAARD
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety will release results of crash tests for nine midsize cars Tuesday and for the first time since the group began performing these tests, the entire group of vehicles will get the highest safety designation possible.
The windshield of the Toyota Camry didn't even crack during its test collision. Two of the nine midsize cars, the Nissan Altima and the Saab 9-5, also improved their ratings over earlier assessments.
Such improvements are no accident. Cars today are far safer than they have ever been, thanks to advances in air bags, seat belts, brake systems and better head restraints. But the Insurance Institute tests themselves have also been a factor: Auto makers are increasingly designing, even redesigning their cars with the closely watched crash results in mind. Although the government also performs collision tests, the institute's are in many ways more influential and, to some, a better measure of how vehicles will perform in real-life crashes.
In addition to the Toyota, Nissan and Saab cars tested, six other midsize cars also received a "good" designation, the institute's highest rating: Acura TL, Hyundai XG350,Lexus ES 300, Lexus IS 300, Volvo S60 and Jaguar X-Type. In the institute's first test in 1995, just three of 14 cars tested received the highest rating. Six were rated "poor," the lowest possible. The others were rated either "acceptable" or "marginal." The agency also designates "best picks," reflecting strong scores across the board.
The institute and its president, Brian O'Neill, have deftly inserted themselves into the car-buying and car-designing arenas. Unlike other safety advocates, who often push for government regulation, the institute uses a media megaphone to alert consumers to unsafe designs and shame auto makers into building safer cars. The institute's video press releases, for example, were seen be an estimated 1.1 billion TV viewers last year, according to Medialink Worldwide, which distributes video releases.
The institute's timing has been good because safety has been taking on growing importance to many car buyers, particularly people with children. At the same time, safety has become a key selling point for auto makers, which often use the institute's ranking in their ads. This Memorial Day weekend alone, the airwaves were thick with ads such as one for the Ford Explorer, trumpeting its "best pick" from the insurance Institute.
Peeter Tootsov and his wife have been frequently checking the institute's Web site, www.highwaysafety.org., as they shop for a new family car. (In March, 444,600 distinct users logged on to the site; that month, 1.5 million new cars were sold.) The northern New Jersey couple, who have two young kids, says crash-test scores matter. "Traffic is crazy and drivers are crazy," says Mr. Tootsov.
His wife, he adds, is ready to eliminate the Cadillac Catera because, despite its strong rating, the car didn't earn a "best pick" from the institute. While they have also checked the government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Web site (www.nhtsa.dot.gov), Mr. Tootsov says it's not as comprehensive. "They are just the general vague three stars and four stars," he says, referring to the government's ranking.
There are key differences in the two tests. The NHTSA conducts a full-frontal crash test; a vehicle's front hits a block of cement at 35 miles per hour. That tests the vehicle's safety restraint system -- the seat belt, air bag and head restraint.
The institute, a nonprofit research organization funded by auto insurers, wanted a test that would better measure the impact of a crash on the vehicle and its driver. It opted for a so-called offset frontal test, smashing just 40% of the front of the vehicle at 40 miles per hour into a barrier. Because only 40% of the vehicle's front must take the force of the whole crash, it is considered a tougher test than the government's. Safety-conscious Europe uses a similar test.
Damaged Dummies
In the institute's test, vehicles are judged primarily on how far the front intrudes into the car's interior and by how much the dummies are damaged by the test. Injury measurements are taken from the head, neck, chest and both legs and feet. In contrast, the government test only checks the head and chest.
Robert Lange, safety chief from General Motors, notes that internal studies at GM couldn't prove a correlation between a good rating in the government's test and better protection in real-world crash data. He added that the NHTSA's full-frontal test is "wholly unrepresentative of the vast majority of crashes." GM hasn't compiled a study based on the institute's ratings.
NHTSA spokesman Tim Hurd agrees that its test effectively measures restraint systems, while the institute's is more of a test of the vehicle's structure. He disagrees with the notion that the institute's is a tougher test.
Car executives know they can't afford to do poorly on crash tests. Last year, Ford asked the institute to delay testing its new Explorer so it could add support to the front of the sports utility vehicle. It ended up with a "good" rating, as well as the institute's coveted "best pick" designation. In fact, three of the five midsize SUV best picks asked the institute to delay their initial test so they could make changes to their vehicles. The institute releases results when it finishes testing a group of cars.
Not Pretty
The Altima, whose results are being released Tuesday, initially had problems with its air bag triggering late after the crash. Nissan changed the air-bag sensor, and then recalled the 127,000 Altimas already sold, and paid for the Institute to retest its top-selling car.
Now the institute is readying its next push: a side-impact test, designed to highlight the risks posed by SUVs and push auto makers to install head-protecting air bags. Preliminary results aren't pretty. Crash Hall, the test site, is lined with mangled cars and car makers are already scrambling to respond. Says Mr. O'Neill, the institute's president, "They're redesigning vehicles before we've even started the test program."
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
I will give an example. The other day I was reading a review on the all new Honda Pilot. The reviewer stated that one of the great things about this vehicle is that is will be rock solid reliable because it is a Honda. I found this strange and disturbing for many reasons. First this vehicle is brand new, therefore it has no reliability history from which to evaluate.
Second it is built on the Odyssey platform, and the Odyssey has had a large number of reliability issues in its current form (ie 1999 and newer). I would also venture a guess that there are more than a few Honda S2000 owners out there who might be a little unhappy because they thought it would be reliable because it is a Honda.
Don't get me wrong, I think Honda builds some great vehicles, (if I was in the market for a new sedan I would buy an Accord). I just think thes type of assumptions continue to perpetuate generalizations that have no basis in the facts.
A) They'll get good reviews based on previous reliability
Other companies like Hyundai who have excellent reliability now after having poor reliability in the past and are trying to overcome it get pounded for poor reliability. I think it's mostly just us Americans who are sheep and follow perceptions rather than reality.
-mike
-juice
vast source of facts available to tap...some of
us relied on Edmunds to make wise choices.We had
to pick amongst 3 sedans and the data I scored
here made us feel confident in our final selection.
Thumbs Up USA Bryan
-mike
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Were you surprised or shocked by the cost of routine maintenance and common repairs like mufflers, brakes, shocks and struts, transmissions, headlight replacement, etc.?
If so, please post here or send an e-mail containing your contact information and vehicle description to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than Wednesday, June 12.
Thanks as always,
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
Thanks for all the replies that have come in through my e-mail address. Keep 'em coming! Here's another media request for your consideration:
"I'm working on a consumer spending outlook story that examines the second half of the year. I would really like to interview some consumers about how they are feeling right now, given a still depressed stock market, an alarming number of accounting scandals and a tough job market. I would love to know whether you plan to spend less in the second half, save more, etc. What are your financial worries (job security)? Are you worried that the economic recovery is losing steam, and things may start getting worse? Are you shopping for a vehicle, or holding off right now?"
Please direct all responses asap by end of day Tuesday, July 2, 2002, to jfallon@edmunds.com.
Thanks!
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
Please post your answer here, and/or submit it directly to jfallon@edmunds.com. As always, it is helpful if you include the make and model of your vehicle and your daytime phone number.
Thanks as always!
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
They are children. Children enjoy shine objects. Shiny objects keep them occupied for hours. Bling bling
ARGGGGG I hate Bling Bling!!!!
-mike
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I was quoted in Business Week, which you put me in touch with. Both print and on-line editions!
:-)
-juice
Grand High Poobah
The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
I thought it was odd that only one person was quoted. They usually quote 2-3 people.
-juice
Maybe next time.
How about this one, submitted by a daily paper:
Do you think you'd be able to post a request on Town Hall to get CEOs/CFOs/CIOs or other c-level business-types who drive the BMW X5 or the Volkswagen Beetle? I need to get these in by Monday July 15th 5:00 p.m.
Thanks as always for directing all responses to me asap at jfallon@edmunds.com.
Very best,
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
-juice
Investigating mutant cross-shoppers, are we?
!
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Thanks!
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
Now a major daily newspaper is looking for owners of SUTs like the Chevy Avalanche and Ford SportTrac. Why did you buy it? How do you use it? Would you consider buying another in the future? Chicago area residents are especially encouraged to respond. Please send your thoughts on the subject and daytime contact information to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than July 30.
Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
Thanks!
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
If so, and if you're willing to talk about it with the media, please send your vehicle and contact info to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than Wednesday, July 31. Thanks!
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Best,
Jeannine
jfallon@edmunds.com