I’ve ranted before about government bailouts. A trillion here, a trillion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money. Yet, somehow, not a dime seems to appear to help prevent the #1 killer of kids. Recently, we’re pumping billions into helping people trade in their clunkers in order to take on even more debt so that they can buy a new car. I’m glad it’s at least giving lip service to promoting better fuel economy. I’d like to see some attention to better safety, too.
For example, I’d like to see new model year vehicles crash tested quicker. Sometimes, it seems like it’s half way through the model year before results are available. By then, half the sales are completed. There are certainly very legitimate reasons why the NHTSA and IIHS ratings can’t be ready the moment a popular new model hits the market. I’m also sure it’s nothing a billion or two dollars and some love from congress couldn’t fix!
Yeah, I’m a bit of a safety nut. In our discussions about having a third child, I put in my request for a new minivan. The old one had good crash test ratings, but the new one had side curtain airbags and stability control, plus top ratings all around. My wife’s Subaru also lacked the latest features, much to my chagrin. I’ve been hinting that she needed something safer and more fuel efficient for a year or two.
Late last week, we got word that her car needed another round of repairs and decided to look into replacing it. We had been considering a Toyota Prius and fate took control over the weekend when we discovered our neighbors had just bought one. It was really nice. Problem was, the crash test results are not yet available, 3-4 months after it hit showrooms. It’s not like some expensive sports car that sells a few thousand units a year. It’s no Camry in terms of sales, but well over 100,000 people will buy a 2010 Prius this year. I’ve read that it’s the 4th most popular model being purchased under the multi-billion dollar “Cash for Clunkers” program, having sold almost 20,000 in July alone.
We knew they were hard to find. Many dealers have none in stock and most of those they have on order are being sold, sight unseen, at full MSRP. We found one at a Carmax new car dealership, the same place we purchased her Subaru (also before the safety ratings were released!). The salesperson held it for the day until we arrived. It was selling for $500 under list price, too. Nice car. We bought it last night. We got almost 63 mpg on our first trip going home the 75 miles from the dealer, mostly interstate driving (my review will be coming soon).
Today I was playing with carseats to answer a post at Priuschat to show you can fit two Britax Frontiers in the back seat and still have enough room to fold down the armrest. The rear seat is as wide as our Subaru wagon. There are two sets of LATCH lower anchors and three top tether anchors. The Frontier installs well with either the reverse seatbelt routing or LATCH. Should be no issue fitting our three kids, but that’s another blog.
Everything should be joyous, right? Well, for now, I anxiously await the crash test results. I’m not too concerned. Toyota has a pretty good track record. The last Prius was decent in terms of safety. There were no “3-star” or “Marginal” ratings that would have concerned me. The 2010 comes standard with stability control and 7 airbags. Supposedly, it’s heavier than the previous model due to an improved chassis design to make the frame stronger for crash protection. I sure hope so!
In the mean time, anyone got a billion dollars so the next safety nut like me doesn’t run into the same problem?
2010 Toyota Prius 4-DR.w/SAB
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Hmmm. See, I let you do all the research, lol. I had no idea about the Insight. We pretty much just jumped off the Honda bandwagon once we bought a Toyota. I loved my little Civic, but they changed the styling enough that I never liked Hondas enough to consider them much after that. Enjoy the new ride! Don’t let dw drive it too much on the weekends 😉 .
Half the waiting is over. The IIHS gave the new Prius top marks all around and made it a Top Safety Pick. Kudos, Toyota!
We did consider the Civic. I assume it’s more of a “drivers car”, as Hondas tend to be. On the downside, the fuel economy is quite a bit lower, it’s smaller and it isn’t any cheaper or easier to find here.
I ruled out the Insight on paper, though it looked great at the auto show. On the plus side, they are relatively plentiful and the street price is about a few thousand cheaper for the base model (though you lose some stuff like cruise, rear discs, traction/stability control and a few other frills). For me, stability control was a must have. It’s standard on the Insight EX but that’s closer in price to the Prius II. Either way, the Insight is somewhat smaller and still manages less fuel economy; no better than the Civic. I’m guessing the Insight also has the traditional Honda road noise and stiff ride, a tradeoff for Honda’s generally better handling, steering and road feel. I like my Honda Odyssey, but I know where it falls short;-) Not sure if the Insight carries the same Honda shortfalls.
Also, Consumer Reports hated it. Normally, that wouldn’t bother me, but for them to dislike a Honda or Toyota, it must have some merit lol.
Anyway, we have the minivan for hauling kids and for long trips. The new car is mostly for commuting and trips around town, so factors like fuel economy and more room for 3 kids in back were issues in favor of the Prius.
Sa-weet! Did you consider Honda’s hybrid at all?
:drool: What does the Ody think of it’s new garage buddy? :p
P.S. I can relate to the unease about a model that hasn’t been crash tested yet. When we bought our ’08 Scion xB, it hadn’t been tested by IIHS for side impacts and it was with some trepidation that we went ahead with the purchase at the time. (We figured it would be safer than our twice t-boned car that we were replacing which had poor or marginal IIHS side impact scores). Luckily the xB was tested for side impacts by IIHS a few months later, and performed well enough to earn an IIHS “Top Pick” rating, whew. I still wish we could have gotten but a Prius but there’s no way for DH to drive or ride in it comfortably and safely. Fingers crossed the Prius is tested soon and performs with flying colors. 🙂
Congrats on the new car! I so wanted one of those but it doesn’t have enough head room for my freakishly long torsoed DH to fit.
There’s a great website to compare vehicles. It’s http://www.informedforlife.org . Like any ratings, you do need to read the fine print. If a vehicle is missing any test results, like most new models, then the overall rating will probably not be valid. On the plus side, you can manually enter information and calculate a rating as any missing test results are released.
an honest but scary look into my reality:
(i hope this doesnt dishearted too many of you)
prior to finding this web site, i really gave very little thought to safety in general. i am due with my first child this November, so its coming up more than ever before though. i previously had a Honda Civic 1991 i believe, which still got 30+ mpg and i was planning on driving it into the ground. when i realized i was pregnant and drooling over the easy sounding LATCH installs, and THEN the cash for clunkers program came along, my husband and i bought a 2009 Nissan Versa. we did talk about the 6 airbags and antilock brakes that came standard with every model, but that was as far as the safety talk or research went. i figured ANYTHING had to be safer than the clunker i was driving. which is mostly true.
i JUST NOW became aware that i could research and compare the crash testings for the car i bought against other models. looks like it has finished testing and got 4 stars (phew!!) but its scary that even for a nurse, that safety research didnt go farther. i wish there was A LOT MORE advertising and awareness on crash test ratings and how to find those. it was easy for me to find now, but you have to know to look.
ironically, i have put about a billion more hours into researching car seats than i did my car. of course, that was due to the education i got on this web site. still, its kind of messed up, i’d say.
in summary, all this info has helped so much to know what to tell people i come in contact with about car and car seat safety.
incidentally, i work for 7 doctors and one nurse practioner and i have never heard or seen any patient education about ERF. i have my work cut out for me. *sigh*
Sweeeet! Congrats on the newest member of the Qunell family. Enjoy the many happy, safe and fuel-efficient miles to come!
Well, I was about to add my own complaint about the Mazda 5 still not being tested, but it looks like NHTSA has finally gotten around to it, at least. Not as good as I’d hoped, but still not nightmarish like our Astro was. But yeah – it took them four years to test it? That’s ridiculous. What’s the point?
Congrats on the sweet new ride :). I’m hankering for a new van now, and I know Honda’s due for a 4th gen Ody soon, but I, too, have been waiting, knowing the crash results would be much after the car’s release. And don’t even get me started on them not having crash ratings for the Mazda 5! At least the similar models had good European ratings last I checked, but I want to see those IIHS videos. Grumble, grumble.