Japanese carmakers emerged as the big winners and big losers in a recent study of how much damage cars receive in low-impact crashes.
In a study of 14 four-door, mid-size cars by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, based in northern Virginia, the Honda Accord LX had the least damage in dollar figures and the Nissan Maxima GXE had the most.
“High car prices don’t guarantee bumpers that protect cars from damage in low-speed impacts,” the report said.
In four tests of front and rear crashes at 5 miles an hour, the $22,000 Maxima received a total of $3,605 in damage. The most damaging of the four tests was a rear end-into-pole crash that caused $2,248 in damage to the car.
The $20,000 Honda, meanwhile, received $1,433 in damage and just $445 in the rear-to-pole test.
The $25,000 Saab 900S was next best, with $1,795 in damage. The Saab performed well in front and rear collisions into a barrier, but it suffered damage in the front angle and rear-pole crashes.
Among American makes in the test, Chevrolet Cavalier was tops (and third overall), with $1,795 in damage.
With a sticker price of $13,115, it also was the least expensive car in the test.
Here are the makes tested along with their list prices and damage figures, rated from lowest to highest (all cars are 1995 models except the Saab 900S, which is a 1994): %%
Car Price Damage
Honda Accord LX $19,830 $1,433
Saab 900S $24,840 $1,734
Chevrolet Cavalier $13,115 $1,795
Subaru Legacy (2WD) $19,547 $1,966
Volvo 850 $27,290 $2,131
Chrysler Cirrus LX $17,970 $2,276
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Toyota Camry LE $20,036 $2,328
VW Passat GLX $22,080 $2,390
Chevrolet Lumina $17,387 $2,629
Ford Taurus GL $19,320 $2,814
Mitsubishi Galant ES $19,206 $3,121
Ford Contour GL $15,975 $3,188
Nissan Maxima GXE $21,989 $3,605 %%