New Smart ForTwo Crashes Mercedes-Benz S-Class and…Lives [UPDATE]

Update: Video of the test crash added after the break

The all-new Smart ForTwo has already had its first crash-test, as Daimler was eager to show that the new city car meets high safety standards. This was demonstrated by an in-house offset crash against a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, one of the safest vehicles available today and twice as heavy as the ForTwo.

The impact was at a speed of 50 km/h (31 mph) with 50 percent overlap, and the Smart offered “an intact occupant space and excellent chances of survival,” according to Daimler. The automaker says the new ForTwo has undergone the same development program as the new Mercedes-Benz S- or C-Class in terms of safety.

“The well-proven tridion cell forms the basis for the high crash safety of the new smart. It ensures efficient energy absorption in a frontal impact. To this end, the crumple zones of the new smart have been made as large as possible,” said Professor Rodolfo Schöneburg, Head of Vehicle Safety at Mercedes-Benz Cars.

“The high proportion of ultra-high-strength steels ensures high stability for the passenger cell. In addition, the further developed airbags and seat belts offer maximum occupant protection, for example with a knee airbag for the driver as a standard feature,” he added.

The Smart’s good result is also due to the way the S-Class has been designed, as Mercedes-Benz generally designs the body structure of large vehicles so that they can also reduce the load for small vehicles involved in an accident, without reducing the protection for their own occupants.

Obviously, we’ll have a clearer idea of the Smart’s safety performance once it gets independent crash tests from Euro NCAP and IIHS.

By Dan Mihalascu

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