Euro NCAP rating on Xantia shock!

[HDI]

Just listened to a feature on R4 on Euro NCAP, so I decided to take a look at the rating for the Xantia. It is shockingly bad! Just over 1 star rating and the written report is uncomfortable reading! It was on a '97 model so the later models will be slightly better by virtue of more airbags, but structural integrity wouldn't be much better. In a collision with the modern tanks that are now on the roads it will always come off worst! We all hope to avoid serious accidents but it's impossible to say that they will never happen to us. Now might be the time for me to move on to a newer and safer model. Wonder what the C4, 5 and 6 are like?!

[superloopy]

Why didnt you check those models too while you were there?

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[GiveMeABreak]

X7 is 5 star

[HDI]

Just have! The C4 is notably good, C5 excellent, C6 was ground breaking, in being the first car ever to be awarded the maximum rating for pedestrian safety, by virtue of having a pop up bonnet triggered by a pedestrian collision sensor! TBH, I've never really paid that much attention to car safety but looking around the official Euro NCAP website is an eye opener! On the newer reports there is even video footage on the test selected.

[CitroJim]

I believe the reason why the Xantia was withdrawn from production perhaps a little earlier than intended was maybe due to the NCAP rating...

[HDI]

I'm not surprised! I'm on my fifth Xantia and think it is a good car overall but seeing such a bad safety rating is a nasty surprise! Although, it's probable that many other cars of the time were just as bad!

[CitroJim]

Although, it's probable that many other cars of the time were just as bad!

Very possibly!

How does the 406 compare? That one lasted three years longer than the Xantia in production...

[Mandrake]

Yep the Xantia's NCAP rating is very poor - 1.5 stars out of 5. That is for a S1 1997 though, I have never seen an NCAP result for the Activa or Series 2, both of which got side intrusion beams in the doors and side airbags. Maybe an S2 would have got 2 stars.

It's bad by today's standards but I don't think it's any worse than any other mid 90's car though - like almost any car from that era the problem seems to be a lack of strength in the A pillar and the front half of the roof - both of which buckle and compromise the integrity of the passenger compartment. If you look at most modern cars the A pillars are as tough as **** and don't bend at all even in severe frontal impacts, and most of the impact is taken by the body in front of the A pillar.

With a 10 month old baby I'm now also rethinking the Xantia as a daily driver due to the NCAP rating. (and also the petrol cost!) Even the tiny C-Zero that I'm considering gets a 4 star NCAP rating by comparison.

On the other hand a H2 Xantia while having poor passive safety does have pretty good active safety, Hydractive 2 really does make a difference in factors like the moose test. If you have ever swerved violently out of the way of an impact you'll appreciate just how stable and sure footed a H2 Xantia is in these conditions where many cars would get into a tail happy skid or spin out.

[RichardW]

Don't forget the Xantia is nearly a 30 year old design now - and was designed pre NCAP for a full frontal impact only. Subsequent cars were designed for high scores on the NCAP test - but it's not the be all and end all - I remember one BMW was retested as it scored only 4* the first time. The only addition to get 5* was a seatbelt not fastened warning....

As I said before, the most important factor is car safety is the nut behind the wheel. Don't crash it, and you don't need to worry about how 'safe' it is!

[mickeymoon]

As I said before, the most important factor is car safety is the nut behind the wheel. Don't crash it, and you don't need to worry about how 'safe' it is!

If only this were true... you're discounting the 30-odd million other cretins in cars who might crash into you.

[RichardW]

If only this were true... you're discounting the 30-odd million other cretins in cars who might crash into you.

Indeed, but defensive driving and maintaining your personal safety zone goes a long way to reducing the chances that your paths will cross. Mind you, every time I come to your end of the country I'm shocked at how aggressively bad the the driving is compared to up here!

[Stickyfinger]

Choose your method of self euthanasia and carry on

Classic Car
Motorbike
Cycle
Walking
Wine/Beer
Fags
Worry/Stress
Bacon
Sugar

[CitroJim]

Cycling is statistically safer than walking Alasdair

[daviemck2006]

Choose your method of self euthanasia and carry on

Classic Car
Motorbike
Cycle
Walking
Wine/Beer
Fags
Worry/Stress
Bacon
Sugar

Forgot breathing Alasdair lol

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[Zelandeth]

I do sometimes wonder how much these numbers mean in the real world.

I've been in one what I think I can call a reasonably high energy collision. Diesel tanker failed to stop at a give way, result being me ploughing straight into the nearside corner of the cab as he crossed my path, point of contact being the offside front corner of my car. There was enough energy involved that I did three complete 360 degree rotations, and the tanker ended up "with a chassis shaped like a banana" as a result of it.

I'd been doing somewhere between 55 and 60mph when it happened.

Injuries to me were a bruise from the seatbelt and two scraped knuckles from punching the wiper and indicator stalks.

I was driving a 1988 Skoda Estelle. A car widely ridiculed for having zero safety credentials whatsoever - even in the mid 80s!

Driver training has to be the best safety feature of any car though. If you've not heard of the Smith's System, it's worth a look into - it's all common sense stuff, but makes you actually *think* about it.