Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 10:18:30 -0700
Reply-To: DaveC <voicebox@DNAI.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: DaveC <voicebox@DNAI.COM>
Subject: Re: Vanagon crash safety
In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.0.20020407122525.02353e78@mail.pressenter.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"
>http://www.vw-bus-land.de/ go to VW-Bus Berichte and then to
>
>Transporter im Crashtest Sondertruck aus ADAC Motorwelt hier als PDF-File (
>1,6 MB )
Some translations via http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr:
Vanagon photo caption:
" No violations [of] the passenger space Volkswagens? Transporters
deformed only slightly. The dummy sat also after the Crash loosely in
the seat. Neither the torso nor the legs were gotten caught, the knee
impact were harmless. The steering column straightened up, however
hardly penetrated into the interior. "
Some text from the article:
In case of emergency the salvage of the driver from that-destroyed
cab would have cost valuable time. With 5 Japanese the left door
wedged and had to be broken open. With the Lite Ace she jumped up
automatically, but the right was blocked. And the driver to release,
was necessary with the Lite Ace and with the Nissan Urvan, a
hydraulic spreader.
The only test users [test vehicle?] which offered its passenger the
same protection as a passenger car was the VW transporter. The photo
on the right shows why: a further cross beam underneath the
headlights [not in the picture] and side member in the doors. They
complete the safety cell, which is [has been] built in such a way
since 1979.
The VW was also the only car, with which a repair was worthwhile
itself. It would have cost 14000 DM [German Marks]. All other
vehicles had to be deducted than [as a] total loss. The [other
vehicles'] deformations were partially enough into the rear frame
area [bent frame].
Were test-dare after not even loaded [The tests were conducted with
empty vehicles]. During full additional load its weight would have
doubled itself, and the destruction would have been still [even
more?] devastating.
Closing paragraph:
The Japanese transporters and minibuses are a few thousands more
cheaply [cheaper] than the VW. Talk nonsense avowedly not [Nonsense
aside,] the difference it are [is] not because of the cash and it
will not for a long time last, until the Japanese with new auto come
more surely, but still more cheaply. [My best guess: Even though
Japanese vans are thousands cheaper than the VW, surely they're not
better. Japanese will continue coming to the table with still cheaper
offerings, but not better.]
Foot note, P. 5:
" Note that Volkswagenwerk AG: The high safety standard of the
Volkswagens transporters and penalty is the result for many years
drivingtries [tests] more intensively and the consistent application
of these results. This has - like each performance - its price. Also
Volkswagen will not leave the time unused to hold and remove this
safety projection/lead further. "
As Ben McC. said:
>As a German speaker, I read through this, and it is clearly an advertisement
>for VW. They enlisted ADAC to back them up (ADAC is similar to AAA in the
>US), but there's definitely money changing hands. While the results do
>carry some weight, I'd take it with a grain of salt.
So, indeed, read it with this in mind.
Dave
--
Dave Carpenter
Whatever you wish for me,
May you have twice as much.
"Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think
we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering." -- Arthur C.
Clarke
