I was at the claim centre accompanying a buddy to have his car looked at by the adjustor. His car was just keyed, nothing major, but we saw other cars there with various degrees of damage.

Struck up a conversation with the adjustor on how different models fair in terms of protecting the occupants. He told me that MBs were among the tops -- the crumple zone, the cabin integrity, the sheet metal, and down to how well the seats were bolted down, all contributed greatly to occupant protection in collisions.

Guess what he said might reasonably reflect the real-world situation, based on his job as an insurance adjustor (and it wasn't like he was trying to sell me an MB). He's in his 50's and looks to be in the field for a number of years.

Maybe you've heard similar stories from those 'in the field' too? Care to share?