7 seaters. How safe are they?

andy8442

In a follow up to "How safe are Panoramic Roofs?" just how safe are your little ones in the back of a 7 seater MPV. We have had a Touran for 7 years and have used the full 7 seat capacity on only a handful of occasions,but when we do, I am extremely nervous about the passengers in the very back. All the models vary in their size etc, but they all have the same problem of the rear occupants heads are only a matter of inches from the rear window.

Looking at the NCAP website, pretty much all of the current 7 seaters have a 5 star rating, but all the test results don't mention a rear end collision. I have emailed NCAP about this omission in their tests, and I'm awaiting an answer.

What are your thoughts and opinions on this subject?

forgotmyname

It was mentioned on top gear many years ago. Clarkson said he wouldnt put his children in those seats.

Fith gear actually did a crash test with a lorry at 40mph. I will see if i can get some screenshots of it for you. Its not pretty.

EdGasket

"Clarkson said he wouldnt put his children in those seats."
Well that's all very well for him isn't it; he probably has enough money to drive a truck if he wants and probably doesn't have a young family on a tight budget. The alternative to using the rear seats for your average family who can only afford to run one car is never to have any outings.
I guess the answer is that they are not as safe as the other seats in the car but sometimes you have to take a small risk or live a very restricted life.

forgotmyname

Not sure if this will work... Copyright Channel 5 etc etc..
Season 15, Episode 1.

i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk109/Grampian91/CRASH/a7.jpg
i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk109/Grampian91/CRASH/a6.jpg
i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk109/Grampian91/CRASH/a5.jpg
i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk109/Grampian91/CRASH/a4.jpg
i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk109/Grampian91/CRASH/a3.jpg
i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk109/Grampian91/CRASH/a2.jpg
i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk109/Grampian91/CRASH/a1.jpg

It said their heads actually made contact with the lorry. And it would have been much worse if there had been more vehicles in front of the Zafira. It would have crushed even more at the rear.

Rolandtheroadie

I drive a Grand Voyager. If it bothered me (NCAP) I possibly wouldnt.

For a rear end shunt though, passengers would probably fair better as it's got a real boot and it's got real seats.

vikingaero

There's an Australian YouTube video of a lorry crashing into the rear of a Vauxhall/Opel Zafira A. The only fatal flaw with that video was that the rear headrests were retracted to provide a better/more sensational view of the lorry impacting the car. The headrests would have provided a barrier to any impact.

Any HGV/car impact is going to be severe. About 20 years ago my sister spun on a roundabout due to spilt diesel. Her car spun across the central grass reservation into an oncoming HGV. The result was that the boot and rear passenger cell of her car was concertinaed into a small lump behind her front seat - it looked like one of those comedy cars cut into half.

forgotmyname

5th gear test actually said the headrests would have made no difference to the outcome.

Lum

forgotmyname wrote: »

Not sure if this will work...

Here you go..

colino

Although possible, pretty remote possibility of flat fronted truck running into the back of you. More likely a lower, car/estate/van would go bumper to bumper and the floor would crush, not the occupants.
What in restrospect was chilling was those desireable rear two seats in the back of Volvo/Merc estates. In effect the kids were the crumple zone.

forgotmyname

As they say in the video its not just the Zafira, Its all cars of that design.
Shame they didnt do the same test with a standard car also.

I think the issue then would be lower body damage and crushed legs etc. But i guess the same situation in most small hatchbacks?

And there was me thinking of getting an S-Max. Ive seen crashes where even a standard car had little space left after an accident. Seen an Escort after a heat on crash with a VW and the escorts bonnet was 2ft long. engine was pushed underneath.

Video (hopefully)

s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk109/Grampian91/CRASH/?action=view&current=7seatcrashfull.mp4

Copyright Channel 5 etc..

vikingaero

It's not just MPVs that are affected. Look at the rear seats in the Toyota IQ, the C1/107/Aygo and all of these city cars.