Chevy Better Than Mercedes? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

alabbasi · #16 06-11-2010, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

Is a 2008 Malibu better in a crash than a W126? Oh heck yeah, they havn't been sitting on their behinds for 30 years. The W126 is 1970's technoligy.

Is it better than a 2008 E or S class, no.

Yep, While the W126 is safe, it would be unrealistic to expect that the W126 to be safer then a new car. It's 30 years old and the two airbags that it does have are an afterthought. The Malibu may fold up quicker in order to absorb the impact, but it's more likely that it's passengers will be better protected.

Jim B. · #17 06-11-2010, 02:40 AM

About 10 years ago I was driving the AMG Mercedes up Highway 5 to Oregon near Mt Shasta, at 70 - 75 mph, with my wife, and a flatbed truck full of 55 gallon plastic drums a couple of car lengths ahead of me and one lane to the right, shed its load, and all of the sudden,

55 gallon empty plastic drums, dozens of them, were INSTANTLY bouncing all over the road in front of me.

At 70 mph I was actually able to steer the car back and forth and swerve over and over through it without hitting a SINGLE barrel.

The car hndled with complete aplomb, it was over quick.

There is NO WAY some brand new front wheel drive Chevy Malibu - or almost ANY built to a marketing "good enough" price point could EVER have accomplished that.

Ever.

I think being able to AVOID an accident in the first place is worth every bit as much as surviving uninjured, a bad accident.

With an old w126 Mercedes Benz, you get BOTH.

Watch * THIS *, sports fans:

W126 Rolling Crash

NO WAY could passengers or drivers get THIS result in a new Chevy Malibu.

Case closed.

alabbasi · #18 06-11-2010, 02:46 AM

Jim

I admire your enthusiasm for the brand. In that incident, you're either a good driver or very lucky. No doubt that if you tried it the same maneuver in your grand marques, it would steer like an elephant on roller skates.

I'm not a fan of FWD cars, but they can be made to handle. The Golf GTI has been proving that since 1976.

In this particular case from a period Road and Track review:

80mph-0 braking test:

Mercedes Benz 420SEL: 265 ft
Chevy Malibu LTZ: 228ft

I like these old cars, but progress is progress. I've had similar conversations with W123 owners that tried to tell me that their 83 300D is a better riding car then my old 1997 E420. Bonkers

I would believe that an MB is 10 years ahead of the average car but not more. We know that because MB was using 10 year old MB platforms in order to make new Chryslers and getting away with it (barely), but 30 years is too big of a gap.

davidmash · #19 06-11-2010, 02:52 AM

Volvo 940 GLE vs Renault.

This video should help end the old verses new part of this discussion.

Crash test

Ara T. · #20 06-11-2010, 03:01 AM

Yep his car is probably better in a crash, but that doesn't mean that the W126 is bad. Especially for a car with '70's tech as Hattie mentioned.

ramonajim · #21 06-11-2010, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnM.

Only a German (european) car can pull that move off. It's what keeps me from driving anything else. I had to pull many similar maneuvers at 75- 80mph. Last one was to avoid a very large roadkill late at night. Car did truly feel like it was on rails. I do hear that BMW's, have a nasty habit of flipping during high speed lane swerves that the Benz can handle easily....

That there is a pretty broad generalization. I've pulled similar moves many a time (sometimes just for fun) in each of my Miatas - and I'd bet dollars to doughnuts any reasonably well maintained and properly tire'd Miata could out perform a reasonably well maintained and properly tire'd Benz or any other sedan if you're talking about dodging obstacles. Of course, there are also a lot of very expensive cars, European and otherwise, that could out perform said Miata as well.

ashedd · #22 06-11-2010, 03:30 AM

Wow ok, so a new KIA with the 200k mile warranty and 47 air bags is the way to go?

Don't worry I don't plan on buying a KIA

Ara T. · #23 06-11-2010, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ramonajim

That there is a pretty broad generalization. I've pulled similar moves many a time (sometimes just for fun) in each of my Miatas - and I'd bet dollars to doughnuts any reasonably well maintained and properly tire'd Miata could out perform a reasonably well maintained and properly tire'd Benz or any other sedan if you're talking about dodging obstacles. Of course, there are also a lot of very expensive cars, European and otherwise, that could out perform said Miata as well.

ditto.. hard to beat a 2400 pound car with good tires when it comes to emergency maneuvers.. maybe a 1600 pound car with good tires

Stretch · #24 06-11-2010, 05:16 AM

I was unfortunate enough to be stiffed with a 'Bu (hire car) the last time I visited the good old US of A - it was like driving a bed. It may have air bags and lots more more safety features than a W126 but I'd say it bloody well needs them. It was without doubt the worst handling car I have ever driven - and I've been stuck with a Chevrolet Matiz over here once in a while too. The Matiz is little more than a motorised roller skate with a roof - but it goes round corners better than a 'Bu... but then so do super market trolleys...

Ara T. · #25 06-11-2010, 05:24 AM

matiz does not = malibu. kind of hard to compare a microcar with an S-class. The malibu is a fairly large car.

t walgamuth · #26 06-11-2010, 06:13 AM

Safety is the whole package not just air bags or stability control.

I will tell two stories:

I was traveling on the interstate recently in a brand new Purdue University vehicle, a Chevy Malibu hybrid. I chose it over the impala because the steering feels tighter and it felt like it would handle better....WRONG! On my way back I was on the interstate minding my own business traveling about 8 over the speed limit in the right hand lane and ahead was a policeman who had pulled over a semi for a ticket. I thought I had cleared traffic and began to move to my left to change lanes and give the maximum clearance. Unfortunately someone had been in my blind spot and I saw them in my periferal vision and gave a quick twitch to the right to avoid hitting them. This is a maneuver that I do routinely with any of my vehicles including my 3/4 ton Dodge pickup (unless I have a trailer on back) with no drama. This Stupid Maibu actually lost traction and begain sliding sideways a bit.

My heart leaped into my throat at the thought of losing control on the interstate with other traffic clearly nearby.

Fortunately I was able to countersteer and catch the slide before it became a full blown out of control incident. (This was a brand new low mileage car with excellent tire tread and all the air bags etc you want). What a pig!

Story two: This happened about 1991. I was traveling north on 421 here in Indiana in my '82 mercedes 300TD with my whole family on board...the lovely Mrs. W and four children. 421 is a two lane. It was on a stretch of road which is mostly straight, well paved and with excellent visibility. And it was in full darkness. In those days there was a very narrow Iron truss bridge over the Kankakee river with barely room to meet a truck in the narrow confines of the bridge. I was moving along at my usual 10 mph over the speed limit which would have been 65 mph. As we approached the bridge I noted a car ahead. All looked fine but as we neared the bridge and prepared to enter it I realized that the car ahead had slowed to a walk or stopped to look out the side of the bridge. Because of the bridge I had missed the fact that he was not moving and suddenly I was 100 feet or so from him with no chance of stopping. My only choice was a full speed lane change with a heavily loaded station wagon with all my children and Mrs. inside to be executed in the confines of a narrow old fashoned steel truss bridge. I did it.

If I had the chance to rehearse the move a hundred times on a wide open parking lot and then try it just once more in that bridge I would refuse.

The Mercedes answered the call. It just did the lane change with precision and grace and we sped on to our destination.

Try that in your brand new Malibu. You will not make it.

Safety is not just air bags it is safe handling, balance, steering, brakes and everything. The whole package.

Would I rather have a new Mercedes? Of course. Would I rather drive a POS new Malibu?

NO!

Mercedes are and always have been designed from the ground up to take care of the occupants as well as possible. A well maintained old benz is still one hellova safe car!

rocky raccoon · #27 06-11-2010, 07:27 AM

is the newest.

I am a medic working in the Fredericksburg - Richmond (VA) corridor and let me caveat by saying I prefer and drive older Benz (1988 560SL). I am also old enough to remember cars of 30 years ago.

Most of the time when we arrive on-scene at an MVA whether on I-95 or on some country 2-lane we find the occupants of the cars walking around talking on thier cell phones. There are of course times when people are seriously hurt or killed and/or trapped but the crash has to be seriously violent for that.

Most don't even realize thier car has protected them and often compensated for some apallingly bad driving. Seat belts, air bags, crumple zones, electronic driving aids, door reinforcements mostly didn't exist on old cars. Many of those who now self-extricate and can call thier attorneys from the roadside would have been dead 30 years ago.

So, even though I love my 107, my wife is safely ensconced in a 2008 E320.

Pavka007 · #28 06-11-2010, 08:04 AM

^^^^^^ But you and your wife still travel in Mercedes

Rocky

Crazy_Nate · #29 06-11-2010, 08:22 AM

I think how well a car holds up (in terms of damage to a vehicle) isn't as important as how much energy it absorbs on impact. The passenger compartment would be the only requirement for me to have be as structurally sound as possible. Everything else is expendable.

Skid Row Joe · #30 06-11-2010, 09:53 AM

The Malibu gets it's five star rating from government testing, not real world testing as Mercedes does and always has done their own testing. I wouldn't trust a new Malibu in the first place for anything except new-dependability - and cold A/C this time of year.

I'd much rather own the W123 instead of any new Chevy four-door passenger car.

When you're foolish enough to routinely drive "75-80 mph" as some have stated, you may need to analyze why you're taking that kind of dangerous risk on public roads in the firstplace. You're not going to routinely survive crashes at that speed, so why would you drive that fast as a known high risk factor / danger? I just don't think it's smart to drive at those speeds anywhere - day or night, including western Interstates. Too much chance of a blowout or hitting a deer or swerving to miss an animal and die in an off the road or rollover wreck.

One more thing - it's not always smart to swerve around these obstacles and go off the road, versus staying on the road and not hitting a tree or light pole. If you always swerve when you come upon anything, you will eventually wreck because of it - that I'll guarantee you. It is sometimes smarter to slow down, if you're not running "75-80 mph" and hit/run over the object. Just my .02 on the issues here.