1987 Ford Sierra loses to modern Fiesta in crash test

1987 Sierra crumbles against modern Fiesta

The small hatchback destroys the larger car. In the opening test, a 1987 Ford Sierra — a respectable sedan — faces a frontal collision with a modern Ford Fiesta, shorter and lighter. The result mirrors dozens of trials: the older front end folds into the cabin while the newer structure holds. Modern design changes the odds. This is a warning for those keeping an old car to save money.

The saver’s intuition seems reasonable: more metal, more mass, more protection. Tests prove otherwise. Passive safety advanced fifteen years’ worth in just fifteen years. What decides a crash isn’t weight, but how the body deforms and where forces go. A huge hood that absorbs nothing is useless.


Why large old cars protect less than small new ones

Key is the survival cell: a rigid cage keeping occupants safe while the front crushes controllably. Eighties designs lacked this or had it partially. Modern small cars have this structure, airbags, pretensioners, and geometry designed to distribute impact.

Patterns repeat across generations. A 2009 Golf performs better than a 2001 Volvo S40, however solid the Swedish car was. The gap between cars separated by nearly a decade exceeds that between cars separated by twenty prior years. Pogre wasn’t linear: it accelerated.

One exception deserves mention as a counter-argument: very large modern cars. Luxury sedans or latest SUVs protect more than hatchbacks. But this doesn’t rescue old cars. It only shows that within new cars, size still adds value.

Euro NCAP stars: why Fiat 500 and Mercedes ML aren’t comparable

Five stars don’t miccionan the same thing. A Mercedes ML and Fiat 500 may share ratings yet offer vastly different occupant protection. Advice is to check percentages, not just stars: look for five-star cars with ideally over 95% passenger protection.

The evaluation system has limits. European frontal tests use non-fixed objects of comparable mass to avoid skewing data with weight differences. They measure absorption capacity of specific structures in specific impacts. Nothing else. Real life delivers blows no test replicates.

Hardest case is the small overlap, hitting only one corner of the front. It’s the most demanding evaluated collision, and even five-star famous-safe cars fail here. If modern cars struggle, imagine a 1987 model.

Real cases: Citroën AX vs BMW

Tests pale compared to real collisions. A Citroën AX vs mid-size BMW: AX loses, driver dies. Another BMW vs another AX: all small-car occupants die while large-car occupants survive. A street race ends with a couple dying in an AX.

The French small car isn’t an exception; it’s an example. An eighties-era compact combines two worst factors. Charitably, the AX was agile for its engine: weighed about 650 kg and felt stable. So agile that a stock version lapped Nürburgring under ten minutes. Agile isn’t safe. At low speeds, urban crashes can kill.

Other side: prudent drivers and well-maintained cars

Not everyone accepts the diagnosis. Some argue a 25-year accident-free car says more than a new model driven by novices. Others claim prudence and reflexes matter more than stars: better a small agile car driven wisely than a huge heavy vehicle.

Underlying suspicion exists too. Much material promoting new cars comes from manufacturers or motor programs living on brand advertising. This doesn’t invalidate data but invites scrutiny. Safety pogre is real; commercial interest spreading it is too.

Technical warning often overlooked: large sedans have high polar moment of inertia; SUVs have high centers of gravity. On paper, neither optimizes stability despite marketing claims.

Keeping an old car? Here’s the minimum

For those unable or unwilling to change cars, advice is twofold. First, make it large: nothing smaller than Opel Vectra, Renault Laguna, VW Passat, Ford Mondeo, Toyota Avensis, Honda Accord, or SEAT Toledo. Second, avoid eighties designs. Newer structures and higher ratings are better.

No need to spend fortunes. Three and four-star Euro NCAP cars in good condition cost around €2,500. By risk metrics, worst money saved is on purchase. Full model lists and exclusion criteria remain for further refinement.

Final advice independent of car: on two-way roads, drive close to shoulder line, not center line. Those invading opposite lanes usually do so from left. Most drivers ignore this unwritten rule; those who ignored it didn’t live to learn it was written.

With these figures, conclusion is obvious: large old cars lose. Closing comparison datum is striking: Citroën AX, doomed in any crash, is up to ten times safer than a moped.