Midsize Sedans 2.0

benjaminh · April 2018

Sam Haymart explains the Nissan's variable compression ratio engine (8 to 14) which will be available in the 2019 Altima....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0j4UAFEAx4

stickguy · April 2018

Well. You should only get one of those with a stick. Problem solved.

Or Can leave in sport+ Mode and eliminate it. At least can on an Audi.

akirby · April 2018

I have auto stop/start on my 2018 F150. It works flawlessly. And I’m averaging 22 mpg with the 3.5L twin turbo 470 lb ft.

roadburner · April 2018

Stop/start works fine on my 2 Series. The BMW fours used to be a lot rougher restarting, but on my X2 loaner stop/start was virtually imperceptible.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2018

You guys have the patience of saints. I would physically rip that out of any car I owned, even IF it was completely unobtrusive.

I really need convincing, with substantial evidence. that Stop/Start isn't primarily for the convenience of the automaker, and not much use to the owner. The automaker is the major beneficiary.

I also find it hard to believe that such systems have no effect on the longevity of starter motors and batteries.

ab348 · April 2018

I am surprised some enterprising software geek doesn't produce a patch that disables it permanently.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2018

Being tied to emissions, that might be tough to do. But I get what you're saying-- like the work-around on the GM "skip-shift" for manual transmissions.

If you do the math on "fuel savings", it doesn't seem worth it. Maybe you'll save 25 gallons a year. One premature battery failure, and you're set back two years, and one starter motor failure and you're set back 4 years.

nyccarguy · April 2018

In our old 2011 Pilot (4WD, 5 Speed Automatic, Cylinder Deactivation), every time I filled up the DTE read somewhere between 360 - 375 miles depending on how late my wife was running the week before. The new 2017 Pilot (AWD, 9 Speed Automatic, Cylinder Deactivation, Auto Stop/Start) reads pretty much the exact same thing (360 - 375 miles). The only difference I notice is when we do some highway driving. There is no way on this green earth that I get anywhere NEAR the claimed EPA 28 mpg highway on the window sticker.

I agree with Shifty. These things benefit the automaker more than the consumer. I don't find it particularly obtrusive. Some people HATE it.

benjaminh · April 2018

Even though in general I support EPA's CAFE mpg guidelines, my guess is the stop/start fad has been encouraged by this. In fact, I wonder if automakers get "credit" from the EPA toward their mpg goals if they add stop/start. I don't know the answer, I'm just asking if buried in the many pages of EPA rules there's something about it somewhere....

In any case, I believe all automakers who have stop/start systems install "heavy duty" starter motors as well as batteries in their vehicles, and so probably there's not much of an impact there because they are engineered for frequent stop/start wear and tear.

imidazol97 · April 2018

Stop/start on my 2014 Malibu is relatively unobtrusive. If it occurred for every stop, it would be easier to tolerate. But the fact is it works sometimes and doesn't get invoked other times, all based on various parameters. The demand of the HVAC temp setting compared to the ambient temp is one factor.

The AC has two settings, one orange which keeps the AC compressor on which reduced the s/s operation; the other green which lets the s/s operate turning off the AC for a time.

There is no disable switch.

I got tired of s/s operating at a stop sign while it didn't when I came to a stoplight earlier. As soon as the engine is stopping, I let up on the brake and the engine restarts. Grrrrrr.

People have tried to disable it on the Malibu, but the only workable one was putting on a driver switch that told the car the hood was open when it was started, then the s/s doesn't work. Flip the switch to hood closed after starting the car, and the lights or messages quit telling you you're driving with your hood open. A little too much for me AND I have a warranty on the car to worry about.

I've become very good at controlling my braking pressure (% of brake pedal depression) and letting up just before dead stop which keeps the s/s from engaging.

pensfan83 · April 2018

I've grown accustomed to start/stop so it doesn't really bother me....when it works. Plus the car is leased so I'm not concerned about any long term effects.

For reasons that aren't entirely clear to me the car has been flashing the "Auto Start N/A" message for a few months now and none of the scenarios outlined in the owners manual on when it is disabled by the computer apply. I haven't noticed any dip in performance so I'm inclined to let it ride out until I take the car in for its state inspection in a few months.

stickguy · April 2018

I have experienced it on a few test drives with varying levels of annoyance, but in that case, really was not focused on it. plus short stints. The only time I really drove with it was a rental land rover diesel in Ireland. That was terrible. every time it restarted, was like we got rear ended. had to hit the disable button every time got in that beast. In stop and go it was horrible.

nyccarguy · April 2018

Mr_Shiftright said:
Being tied to emissions, that might be tough to do. But I get what you're saying-- like the work-around on the GM "skip-shift" for manual transmissions.

If you do the math on "fuel savings", it doesn't seem worth it. Maybe you'll save 25 gallons a year. One premature battery failure, and you're set back two years, and one starter motor failure and you're set back 4 years.

My mom drives a 2016 V6 Cayenne with Auto Stop/Start (Her 2011 had the same). She shuts it off because she is literally afraid that eventually the car won't turn back on again & she'll be in the middle of an intersection waiting to make a left turn when it happens.

roadburner · April 2018

BMW allowed you to permanently disable stop/start up to around 2017; now it has to be disabled each time you start the car. However, if you have a coding app such as Carli you can code a permanent default off.

andres3 · April 2018

nyccarguy said:
In our old 2011 Pilot (4WD, 5 Speed Automatic, Cylinder Deactivation), every time I filled up the DTE read somewhere between 360 - 375 miles depending on how late my wife was running the week before. The new 2017 Pilot (AWD, 9 Speed Automatic, Cylinder Deactivation, Auto Stop/Start) reads pretty much the exact same thing (360 - 375 miles). The only difference I notice is when we do some highway driving. There is no way on this green earth that I get anywhere NEAR the claimed EPA 28 mpg highway on the window sticker.

I agree with Shifty. These things benefit the automaker more than the consumer. I don't find it particularly obtrusive. Some people HATE it.

I think people with a fast foot hate it. If your foot takes a couple ice ages to move from the brake to the accelerator, then maybe it's a likeable system.

john4545 · April 2018

Andres so true......Our Gov't input is ruining everything! New light bulbs that cost 20 bucks and don't light. Now I have to hear my wife [non-permissible content removed] that her vehicle doesn't move quick enough

berri · April 2018

I think stuff like stop start is caused by government regulation changes that don't consider engineering lead timers to implement. Remember the dumb automatic seat belts - a great Rube Goldberg contraption brought on by too quick gov reg implementation laws.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2018

The donut tire or complete absence of a spare tire is another example of something that benefits no one except the manufacturer. The most hilarious justification from automakers is that the lack of a spare "saves weight and thus improves gas mileage".

andres3 · April 2018

Mr_Shiftright said:
The donut tire or complete absence of a spare tire is another example of something that benefits no one except the manufacturer. The most hilarious justification from automakers is that the lack of a spare "saves weight and thus improves gas mileage".

Don't forget 0.10 second better lap times!!!!

:)

I suppose you can fit more trash in your car as "storage" too.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2018

I'm sure the original owner of my car was deliriously happy when he/she forked over $30K, and when inquiring about "Where's the spare tire located"?....was handed a can of green SLIME.

akirby · April 2018

andres3 said:

I think people with a fast foot hate it. If your foot takes a couple ice ages to move from the brake to the accelerator, then maybe it's a likeable system.

You’d have to be super fast. My F150 restarts instantly as soon as you start to move your foot. I can’t imagine beating it to the gas pedal.

On Fords you can disable it via Forscan.

And they have beefed up the starter, battery and other components to support it so component wear isn’t an issue.

I’m getting 21-22 mpg on my 3.5L ecoboost F150 and I’m sure Auto Start/stop helps tremendously.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2018

Most tests I've seen show, under the most ideal conditions (city driving) that you'll save about 10% on fuel per year.

So, say on my car, which is pretty good on gas, driving 10K per year, using premium fuel at current (high) prices of $3.60 per gallon, I would save $140 per year with stop/start.

If you had a more fuel-efficient car than mine, and you were say in the Midwest and driving 10K per year, you'd save about $75 a year.

Question is--is there any proof of premature starter or battery failure on stop/start cars?

[Deleted User] · April 2018

thebean said:
When I sat in a new Accord while mine was in service, I thought it was too low. Pretty near as low as the wife's Civic. That would be a deal breaker for me, as I get older and more decrepit.

No worries. My Optima is also too low. My driver's side is power. So, if I am having a bad day with my joint issues (Rheumatoid Arthritis), I can use the power seat to raise me up about 2". It does not help much. Passenger seat is at my drivers seat lowest setting, and is non adjustable. There were MANY complaints about no manual height adjustment for passenger side.
However, the car is feature PACKED for an EX "base", which just means no power passenger seat, no heated seats, no glass roof with power front portion.
As consumers request more and more slinky 4-door coupes w/ handling...the cars low center of mass and low height will continue.

berri said:
The new Camry is low too. It also has reduced headroom from the prior one. Don't care for either one because of those issues.

Mine e too is low. The passenger seat is permanently low.

[Deleted User] · April 2018

akirby said:

andres3 said:

I think people with a fast foot hate it. If your foot takes a couple ice ages to move from the brake to the accelerator, then maybe it's a likeable system.
You’d have to be super fast. My F150 restarts instantly as soon as you start to move your foot. I can’t imagine beating it to the gas pedal.

On Fords you can disable it via Forscan.

And they have beefed up the starter, battery and other components to support it so component wear isn’t an issue.

I’m getting 21-22 mpg on my 3.5L ecoboost F150 and I’m sure Auto Start/stop helps tremendously.

They really call it Forscan? LMAO. Do you pull or push to disable?

[Deleted User] · April 2018

cski said:

thebean said:
When I sat in a new Accord while mine was in service, I thought it was too low. Pretty near as low as the wife's Civic. That would be a deal breaker for me, as I get older and more decrepit.
No worries. My Optima is also too low. My driver's side is power. So, if I am having a bad day with my joint issues (Rheumatoid Arthritis), I can use the power seat to raise me up about 2". It does not help much. Passenger seat is at my drivers seat lowest setting, and is non adjustable. There were MANY complaints about no manual height adjustment for passenger side.
However, the car is feature PACKED for an EX "base", which just means no power passenger seat, no heated seats, no glass roof with power front portion.
As consumers request more and more slinky 4-door coupes w/ handling...the cars low center of mass and low height will continue.
berri said:
The new Camry is low too. It also has reduced headroom from the prior one. Don't care for either one because of those issues.
Mine e too is low. The passenger seat is permanently low.

I also am nearing decrepit status.

andres3 · April 2018

cski said:

thebean said:
When I sat in a new Accord while mine was in service, I thought it was too low. Pretty near as low as the wife's Civic. That would be a deal breaker for me, as I get older and more decrepit.
No worries. My Optima is also too low. My driver's side is power. So, if I am having a bad day with my joint issues (Rheumatoid Arthritis), I can use the power seat to raise me up about 2". It does not help much. Passenger seat is at my drivers seat lowest setting, and is non adjustable. There were MANY complaints about no manual height adjustment for passenger side.
However, the car is feature PACKED for an EX "base", which just means no power passenger seat, no heated seats, no glass roof with power front portion.
As consumers request more and more slinky 4-door coupes w/ handling...the cars low center of mass and low height will continue.
berri said:
The new Camry is low too. It also has reduced headroom from the prior one. Don't care for either one because of those issues.
Mine e too is low. The passenger seat is permanently low.

That was my biggest complaint about Subaru. In both the Forester XT and Outback 3.6 Touring, no matter how much you spend all the way up to top trim level, you don't get an adjustable height passenger side seat. That's deplorable if you'll be a passenger rather than driver.

explorerx4 · April 2018

As a rental car, I liked the Sonata.
In traffic, the throttle worked really well, wasn't jumpy like a lot of others.

berri · April 2018

I've been pleasantly surprised lately in the newer Sonata rentals as well. They get pretty good gas mileage on the road too.

benjaminh · April 2018

Our daughter, who turned 16 several months ago, hopes to learn to drive this summer. The insurance costs will be high for a teenager, and I'm not looking forward to that. But eventually she's going to learn to drive, and I get the feeling she wants to take a car when she goes to colleges in c. 16 months. Way back when I left for university, in 1983, I did not have a car. Neither did my sisters when they went to college. In my junior year at university, my parents finally gave me a long-term loan of their 1969 VW Bus, but I don't know if we can delay her that long. Probably not.

Seemingly some (or even most?) of our daughter's friends have had cars when they went to college, which is contributing to her expectations. These cars seem generally to be of two kinds—nice cars lent or given to them by their parents, and more junky old cars that they buy with the help of their parents. For safety and reliability reasons I'm not interested in a c. 15 year old car with c. 150k miles.

All this made me start to look at what would be the least expensive new car that I'd find to be acceptable. At first the Hyundai Elantra looked like a possibility, since with discounts a new 2018 Elantra can be had for as little as $15k. But that really is a base model, which lacks even a back up camera. No AndroidAuto either, obviously. By the time you get a nicely equipped Elantra it's more like $17.5k. But even then, this is a car with a torsion beam rear suspension, which seems rather pathetic.

For around a thousand more a new Sonata or a new Passat would be in reach. These midsize cars have independent rear suspension, have many more features, have more room, and are substantially safer than something like an Elantra. And for a couple of thousand more than that, a new Accord, strange as they look, is in reach.

I suppose we could even buy a new Accord for us, and then lend my wife's 5 year old Accord, which when our daughter goes off to college will be six and a half years old, to our daughter. Or, more economically, without buying a car maybe my wife and I could share a car and go down to being a 1-car household. It's a puzzle, but there is plenty of time to try to figure it out.. My first choice is still to just send my daughter off to college without a car. But, again, I'm not sure if that's going to work out....

explorerx4 · April 2018

@benjaminh,
The schools my kids went to didn't issue parking permits to freshman if they live on campus.
I was happy about that because I didn't want my kids to be the dorm bus driver.
They each started bringing a car to campus their junior year.
It was even the same one.

stickguy · April 2018

Benjamin, one factor is distance. My daughter ended up 450 miles away (NJ to NC), with a nasty drive (95 through Baltimore, DC and Richmond). she took a car 2nd semester Freshman year. Made a good case that she needed one to get to stores, and activities she was doing out in the community. Plus made it much easier to get back and forth to home.

that year she took the old car from HS (8 YO Volvo S40 with about 115,000 miles on it). Did OK, but I decided not to push it, since if something happened to it would not be pretty. So, we discussed options and crunched numbers, and decided that since it was 3 years needed, it made the most sense to lease something cheap. So, she has had the Jetta for these last 3 years. I am happy with the choice. Reliable, safe, great MPG, and no worries about unexpected repairs (or breaking down on the highway, when she is usually by herself).

if she had gone closer to home (say 50 miles or less) I would have just had her keep the Volvo.

In your case, giving her the old Accord, and you getting whatever you want instead, sounds like the best option. If I had something like a 3-4 YO car at the time, that is what I would have done. Looking back, a 2 YO lower mile used car would have been a smart idea too, since could have kept it after graduation. But we also did the lease for cash flow reasons (no money down, lower payments).

nyccarguy · April 2018

stickguy said:

Benjamin, one factor is distance. My daughter ended up 450 miles away (NJ to NC), with a nasty drive (95 through Baltimore, DC and Richmond). she took a car 2nd semester Freshman year. Made a good case that she needed one to get to stores, and activities she was doing out in the community. Plus made it much easier to get back and forth to home. that year she took the old car from HS (8 YO Volvo S40 with about 115,000 miles on it). Did OK, but I decided not to push it, since if something happened to it would not be pretty. So, we discussed options and crunched numbers, and decided that since it was 3 years needed, it made the most sense to lease something cheap. So, she has had the Jetta for these last 3 years. I am happy with the choice. Reliable, safe, great MPG, and no worries about unexpected repairs (or breaking down on the highway, when she is usually by herself). if she had gone closer to home (say 50 miles or less) I would have just had her keep the Volvo. In your case, giving her the old Accord, and you getting whatever you want instead, sounds like the best option. If I had something like a 3-4 YO car at the time, that is what I would have done. Looking back, a 2 YO lower mile used car would have been a smart idea too, since could have kept it after graduation. But we also did the lease for cash flow reasons (no money down, lower payments).

I think you made the smart move with leasing the Jetta for your daughter.

imidazol97 · April 2018

My suggestion is to get a small vehicle. I saw the parking lots with narrow spaces causing more door dings and narrow aisles between rows meaning a longer car that backed out of an opposing row had trouble avoiding backing into cars parked in row behind it as they tried to turn the car to go down the aisle.

My son lived in apartments with 1 space per resident. And I saw other lots. It was a lot easier to maneuver a Cobalt than a larger car like an Impala or Camry orAccord. Some other residents had small SUV's.

benjaminh · April 2018

imidazol97: How do you like your Cruze? I think it's a nice looking car. And maybe affordable?

Everyone else: Thanks for your comments and thoughts. Appreciated!

suydam · April 2018

I also think giving her the Accord is a good option. Yes, there will be door dings and other incidents, small car or large, but you won’t mind as much with an older vehicle as with a new one. The Accord is very safe and reliable too. I bought a used Camry for my daughter, actually the second part of her first year, as she did have a long distance to drive home (+500 miles). That Camry lasted all through college and grad school, and her first job too.

sda · April 2018

benjaminh said:
Our daughter, who turned 16 several months ago, hopes to learn to drive this summer. The insurance costs will be high for a teenager, and I'm not looking forward to that. But eventually she's going to learn to drive, and I get the feeling she wants to take a car when she goes to colleges in c. 16 months. Way back when I left for university, in 1983, I did not have a car. Neither did my sisters when they went to college. In my junior year at university, my parents finally gave me a long-term loan of their 1969 VW Bus, but I don't know if we can delay her that long. Probably not.

Seemingly some (or even most?) of our daughter's friends have had cars when they went to college, which is contributing to her expectations. These cars seem generally to be of two kinds—nice cars lent or given to them by their parents, and more junky old cars that they buy with the help of their parents. For safety and reliability reasons I'm not interested in a c. 15 year old car with c. 150k miles.

All this made me start to look at what would be the least expensive new car that I'd find to be acceptable. At first the Hyundai Elantra looked like a possibility, since with discounts a new 2018 Elantra can be had for as little as $15k. But that really is a base model, which lacks even a back up camera. No AndroidAuto either, obviously. By the time you get a nicely equipped Elantra it's more like $17.5k. But even then, this is a car with a torsion beam rear suspension, which seems rather pathetic.

For around a thousand more a new Sonata or a new Passat would be in reach. These midsize cars have independent rear suspension, have many more features, have more room, and are substantially safer than something like an Elantra. And for a couple of thousand more than that, a new Accord, strange as they look, is in reach.

I suppose we could even buy a new Accord for us, and then lend my wife's 5 year old Accord, which when our daughter goes off to college will be six and a half years old, to our daughter. Or, more economically, without buying a car maybe my wife and I could share a car and go down to being a 1-car household. It's a puzzle, but there is plenty of time to try to figure it out.. My first choice is still to just send my daughter off to college without a car. But, again, I'm not sure if that's going to work out....

My daughter is 16 as well and has been hesitant learning to drive. We are going out this afternoon to practice in the Accord. Though we have considered several options I believe we will give the Accord to her once she can drive, with the goal of her having that car for her college years. I will probably end up buying a clean used car in the $15-20k range.

brian125 · April 2018

@benjaminh, @sda here is my 2 cents ... if your kids are going off to College soon and going out of state , please put them in the biggest newest vehicles with safety features ( bliss,backup camera, cross traffic, & braking if you could afford it.) whether you own or have to do a cheap lease ie....Accord, Camry, Altima etc with the latest safety features it will be the best investment for your precious cargo.

suydam · April 2018

Older Accords and Camrys now have all those things. My ‘13 Accord had it all. You also have to weigh the damage that WILL be done by either your child or others at College.

imidazol97 · April 2018

benjaminh said:
imidazol97: How do you like your Cruze? I think it's a nice looking car. And maybe affordable?

Everyone else: Thanks for your comments and thoughts. Appreciated!

The Cruze is the previous generation and has been a very good car. It's an LT2 with leather seats, heated, remote start, and has been perfect for junior. I bought it as a 9 month old rental car and it came with a CPO extended warranty and 20K miles. Very nice pricing. I bought an extended GM warranty online and it's covered up to 90K and a few more years essentially bumper to bumper for junior and his soon to be bride.

It's quiet and drives like a much larger car in road feel and quiet.

benjaminh · April 2018

Not at all a surprise, but this 3-minute video says that older cars tend to have much higher fatality rates than new ones....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNljCBFA4u4

roadburner · April 2018

My wife, son, and I should all be dead ten times over considering how often all three of us drove or rode in my son's first car- a 1975 2002...

suydam · April 2018

benjaminh said:
Not at all a surprise, but this 3-minute video says that older cars tend to have much higher fatality rates than new ones....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNljCBFA4u4

How old are we talking? An “older”Honda or Camry now is likely to have every safety feature you’d need. Any 2012 or so Car is likely to have backup cam for example. Even my daughter’s ‘98 Camry had ABS and all the extra airbags.

berri · April 2018

When my kids were in college, I always worried about accidents or vehicle breakdowns on the drives to and from our house. I think young adults and teenagers are especially vulnerable to the wacko's out there, so I always made sure the cars were in top mechanical shape. Some bad stuff can happen on the open Interstates.

john4545 · April 2018

My 1st car was a 1977 Pontiac,Grand prix. What a car!! big long front and hard metal bumpers. Those were all the safety features needed back in the day...lol. These newer vehicles cant pass a 20 mph crash test without thousands in damages.

imidazol97 · April 2018

By judicious watching of various GM dealers and CPO Cruzes offered with 1-yr and 15-30K miles, my son's Cruze has ABS, stabilitrak. It does not have blind spot warning. If he decides to replace it, I'll buy it back and replace my Cobalt.

The Cobalt has stabilitrak and ABS even though it's an 08. 110,000 and no problems.

It seems to me that sometimes folks in forums get in a same-thinking mode that the only cars are Honda or toyota that have durability. Other car brands aren't even mentioned, as though they don't exist.

The Civic now offered is much larger than just a few years back. In fact, if I shop for a replacement for the Malibu as a mid-sized, I'd have to drive it since it's a midsize. Not a car I'd send to the college parking lots Imid Jr. helped populate around OSU. The Accord is built on the same chassis. Every time I see one of the new ones, I see a Civic dressed up in size to appear larger.

There are tons of Sentras and Altimas around here with a very active dealer around the airport. I assume some of those I see are used maybe CPO purchases. I don't see them sitting around the Nissan store waiting for service as though there are reliability problems with them.

fushigi · April 2018

I would set a baseline of minimum safety equipment to include front & side airbags and ABS for any car. TCS, crumple zones, etc. are great but secondary. More airbags and driver aids like lane departure warning systems, blind spot detection, backup cameras are tertiary. Look for good overall NHTSA/IIHS ratings.

You can actually get a pretty safe 15 year old beater at this point. This isn't the early 90s when you had to choose between ABS & an automatic trans like my '93 Mazda made me do.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2018

suydam said:

benjaminh said:
Not at all a surprise, but this 3-minute video says that older cars tend to have much higher fatality rates than new ones....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNljCBFA4u4
How old are we talking? An “older”Honda or Camry now is likely to have every safety feature you’d need. Any 2012 or so Car is likely to have backup cam for example. Even my daughter’s ‘98 Camry had ABS and all the extra airbags.

Auto fatalities in the U.S. are actually going up again, as of 2015 - 2017, and this is adjusted for population and for miles driven.

So this somewhat contradicts that newer cars alone can reduce risk. I'm SURE newer cars are safer, but there must be other factors at work here.

We hit a low of around 32,000 deaths in 2010 but we are now at near the 38,000 level.

andres3 · April 2018

Mr_Shiftright said:

suydam said:

benjaminh said:
Not at all a surprise, but this 3-minute video says that older cars tend to have much higher fatality rates than new ones....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNljCBFA4u4
How old are we talking? An “older”Honda or Camry now is likely to have every safety feature you’d need. Any 2012 or so Car is likely to have backup cam for example. Even my daughter’s ‘98 Camry had ABS and all the extra airbags.
Auto fatalities in the U.S. are actually going up again, as of 2015 - 2017, and this is adjusted for population and for miles driven.

So this somewhat contradicts that newer cars alone can reduce risk. I'm SURE newer cars are safer, but there must be other factors at work here.

We hit a low of around 32,000 deaths in 2010 but we are now at near the 38,000 level.

Absolute numbers will probably always go up, it would be nice to see the adjusted figures or "rates." Distracted driving is probably our newest and biggest factor driving up the rates.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2018

andres3 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

suydam said:

benjaminh said:
Not at all a surprise, but this 3-minute video says that older cars tend to have much higher fatality rates than new ones....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNljCBFA4u4
How old are we talking? An “older”Honda or Camry now is likely to have every safety feature you’d need. Any 2012 or so Car is likely to have backup cam for example. Even my daughter’s ‘98 Camry had ABS and all the extra airbags.
Auto fatalities in the U.S. are actually going up again, as of 2015 - 2017, and this is adjusted for population and for miles driven.

So this somewhat contradicts that newer cars alone can reduce risk. I'm SURE newer cars are safer, but there must be other factors at work here.

We hit a low of around 32,000 deaths in 2010 but we are now at near the 38,000 level.
Absolute numbers will probably always go up, it would be nice to see the adjusted figures or "rates." Distracted driving is probably our newest and biggest factor driving up the rates.

Those are adjusted rates---adjusted for population increase and for miles driver.

stickguy · April 2018

blame cell phones and distracted drivers.

Midsize Sedans 2.0

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles