Jeep Cherokee vs Fiat X1/9

rraudtech

Gian Mauro
Why anyone would perform this test is a mystery..

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_VUcV_5X0c"]Crash Test Jeep Cherokee vs Fiat X19 - YouTube[/ame]
 
Yes a mystery but scary non the least to think of how fatal an impact like that would be for the X1/9 driver.
 
The crash was staged as a test by ARC-CSI, a professional auto crash research and reconstruction industry organization.

As far as I can tell, the crash was staged to study vehicle rollover data, which is always a topic of interest especially as it applies to SUVs.

I think the X1/9 was there strictly as the most likely vehicle to cause the colliding SUV to roll over due to its wedge shape and even more so due to the obvious lowering that was done to the front end of the X. If you look at this and pause at the right spot, you can see that the X front bumper is actually at or lower than the center hub of the front wheel of the Jeep. I sincerely doubt that the X was there to be studied in the crash.

See this table of contents for the organization's magazine, they seem to have generated two articles from the collision:
http://www.collisionmagazine.com/pdf/v7i2_toc.pdf
 
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Hard to tell from the short video, but it looks to me like the X fared pretty well, and if there had been a driver in it he probably would have survived with just minor injuries if any.
 
I suspect that in a collision like this the driver (LHD) would not have a face or head to speak of afterwards, since they would likely have been leaning forward due to stopping or initial impact. The Jeep tire crushed the windshield and frame despite bouncing off the cowl framework, the windshield frame is pushed back and down about where I would expect my head to be in such a collision. Due to the size, height and weight difference between the two vehicles, I wouldn't think it would be survivable for the X driver.
 
Clearly head position would be the decieding factor of the fatality level of the Fiat driver. The rear window and pillar of the X doesn't look very damaged and the fact that the windshield didn't completely collapse is kind of suprising. If the fiat driver had the seat pushed back and reclined and had his seatbelt secured tightly, i could see him walking away from that accident. This is all based on what I could see in the video, measurements and close up inspection might contradict this conclusion. On the other hand, if the driver were positioned forward or pushed forward from the initial impact before the jeep hit the windshield....
 
front low

To me the front is super lowered AND the back is lifted. This test is criminal, they could have grabbed a pointy 90's hatchback and cut the front coils.
 
For a professional test, there seemed to be a lot of cheering going on, which indicates to me, it wasn't all that professional. I think I want a roll cage in mine.
 
Pretty sure I will be strongly encouraged to sell my X if Wifey watched that video. Often times when we are driving, she expresses concern about the size and height of our X vs all the SUV's and crossovers on the road.

I think there is definitely some risk for X drivers. While the structure of the X1/9 is very solid, one cannot defy physics. Let's all drive defensively out there :)
 
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