A W220 rear impact: did this spin and hit a tree or post backwards? Note the position of the impact point vs the rear of the roof


A W210 rear-ender: the truck in the background hit it


A W126(?) side impact: this is the way a Mercedes Bendz


No matter how survivable a car is engineered to be, survivability drastically suffers as impact speed increases, due to e=(1/2)mv.

That last w126 is mutilated!!!

Now I just want to see a little tin can car in the same situation. I bet it would be flat

That's not a W126, looks like a W202 going by the tail light cutout and rear door.

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

Yeah I wasn't sure either...was looking at the door handle and it didn't look w126 but I figured I'd let someone else chime in

Looks like a 202 C-Class. A US spec W126 would snap your neck before the safety cage is breached. I have yet to see one, even in pictures, that has had the safety cage penetrated. In fact, all S-Classes from the W140 down, hold up amazingly well.

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1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

Well I'd hope $90k would buy you better crash protection then a $10k Yugo.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

That why EVERYTHING I drive is as BIG as I can get it. I felt VERY safe in my 1996 S500 I had years ago, and feel fairly safe in my 300SDL, but the only thing I feel safest in are any of my Suburbans. Its a simple matter of physics.

http://hometown.aol.com/cmsearls1/index.html

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Mercedes Fleet:
2004 CL600 Designo Espresso SPORT
2004 S600 Designo Espresso SPORT/Lorinser Pkg.
1999 S320
1988 300TE
1972 280SEL 4.5
Diesel Fleet:
2014 GL350 Blutec
1987 300SDL Blk/Blk 4 place seating #18 head
1987 300SDL Smk Slv/Burgangy #17 head
1986 300SDL Blk Pearl/Palomino #14 head w/ 280K
1984 Lincoln Mark VII Fact BMW Turbo Diesel

A lot of the pictures you see like that are AFTER the passengers have been extracted. They use some pretty narly stuff to open up roofs and doors. Often they "scissor" the pillars and peel back the roof and pull out passengers that way.

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1984 300Sd 210k

Former cars:
1984 300D 445k (!!) (Strider) Original (and not rebuilt) engine and transmission. Currently running on V80 ( 80% vegetable oil, 20% petroleum products). Actually not, taking a WVO break.
1993 300d 2.5 275k. Current 120/day commuter
1981 300SD 188k (Hans) Killed by a deer

a suburban is as safe as any benz.

first the seat belts are crap. if hit any way other than straight on you will simply slide out the side.

second the bodys are crap and will fold up.

third they will turn over a lot quicker than any benz.

and finally the avoidance capability is about nill in a sub.

still though, they are a lot better than most cars.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

What would happen if an H2 rearended a Unimog? Would the story be different?

Better yet let the 90 pound soccer mom in her H2 have an encounter with the rear end of a fully equipped D11 Caterpillar. When I'm in my Benz and I see a Hummer piloted by a soccer mom on her cell phone--I want to hide. Damn *****es drive like they can't get to hell fast enough.

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1983 300-D turbo
1985 300-D turbo
1959 Harley Panhead chopper
1929 Ford coupe restored
I hang out with Boneheaddoctor at Schuman Automotive OBK#5
All liberals are mattoids but not all mattoids are liberal.

could survive a rear end by a unimog. they have a top speed of maybe 25. unless it drove over the top, i suppose.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

That is exactly what I want to use a certain green Ford Expedition in my area. When I get on top of the Ford I would lock my track and grind him into dust.

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1983 300-D turbo
1985 300-D turbo
1959 Harley Panhead chopper
1929 Ford coupe restored
I hang out with Boneheaddoctor at Schuman Automotive OBK#5
All liberals are mattoids but not all mattoids are liberal.

A 124 will do at least as well as a 123 in a rear end collision.

The biggest problem with the SUVs is that very few of them have crush zones, with the dual result of all the force being absorbed by the other vehicle and the occupants being thrashed pretty badly if the SUV hits something besides another car.

An SUV is much LESS saft for occupants than a car, in all accidents and particularly in single vehicle accidents as they roll over at the slightest provocation (even a crub can cause them to roll -- minvans are just as bad), and the older (US made in particular) ones have NO rollover cage, just thin sheet metal. The bodies often get ripped off the frame, too, and crush. Their handling is a best deplorable, at worst simply unsafe at any speed (and Hummers break tie rods if you try to use the off-road -- they were designed to be higher and wider than anything on the highway, not for real use -- the resemblence to the Army vehicle is mostly cosmetic).

I am of the opinion that SUVs as currently sold should never have been licensed for passenger or automotive use, and they are a distinct hazard to other vehicles.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!