Safe car vs Safe truck vs Safe SUV for first time driver

Greetings! My daughter is going to drive soon. What should be the
vehicle for her from safety point of view - Car like Toyota Camry vs
SUV like Ford Explorer or small truck like Toyota Tacoma extended cab?
With thanks.

"asdf3b" > wrote:

>Greetings! My daughter is going to drive soon. What should be the
>vehicle for her from safety point of view - Car like Toyota Camry vs
>SUV like Ford Explorer or small truck like Toyota Tacoma extended cab?
>With thanks.

You can check the crash testing at http://www.iihs.org/.
--
Jim Rusling
More or Less Retired
Mustang, OK
http://www.rusling.org

On 6 Jan 2007 11:10:26 -0800, "asdf3b" >
wrote:

>Greetings! My daughter is going to drive soon. What should be the
>vehicle for her from safety point of view - Car like Toyota Camry vs
>SUV like Ford Explorer or small truck like Toyota Tacoma extended cab?
>With thanks.

Hummer H1... Like nothing else on earth!

asdf3b proclaimed:

> Greetings! My daughter is going to drive soon. What should be the
> vehicle for her from safety point of view - Car like Toyota Camry vs
> SUV like Ford Explorer or small truck like Toyota Tacoma extended cab?
> With thanks.
>
The problem with SUVs is that they do not have the safer handling
characteristics of a typical small sedan, yet their drivers have the bad
habit of driving them like Porsches. Kinda depends on your daughters
personality.

The problem with the Ford Explorer is that the older ones like many
traditional truck based SUVs tend to tip over during emergency or simply
too fast turns. This is often the result of a rookie or careless driver
and very bad choice of tires that are far too often underinflated. You
want the tires on a turning SUV to slide under heavy loads, if they
don't they tend to roll over. Underinflate the tires and flip city.
On the other hand, your daughter is less likely to be hurt if hit by
another vehicle in an Explorer. The new Explorers are much better but
now you are talking enough money to buy a good used Bimmer or Mercedes.

The same applies to many of the cute utes kids like such as the Brat,
the Samurai, etc. They have a high center of gravity and a short
wheelbase so they flip easy.

Pickups tend to be worse as they don't have as GOOD a weight
distribution as an SUV based on the same platform and have the same
issues of a high center of gravity.

The Toyota SR5, Ford Explorer, Mitsubishi Montero Sport, Nissan Xterra
all do have pretty good crash protection for a belt wearing driver.
Most younger drivers would prefer the short wheelbase Jeeps, but those
also can tip if driven like a sports car.

Watch out for some Toyota sedans, some have brakes that take longer to
stop from 60 than a two ton Land Rover.

For utmost safety, buy an old "iron" Mercedes or Volvo.

If your daughter would care to try moderate trail driving, a traditional
jeep tends to have a pretty high cool factor.

On 6 Jan 2007 11:10:26 -0800, "asdf3b" >
wrote:

>Greetings! My daughter is going to drive soon. What should be the
>vehicle for her from safety point of view - Car like Toyota Camry vs
>SUV like Ford Explorer or small truck like Toyota Tacoma extended cab?
>With thanks.


THis is easy, a Camary or the like because you a less likely to loose
control in a emergency manuver and more likely to avoid a accident.
Toyota Camarys crash well (I know first hand several years ago ) THe
mentality that you need a battle tank to be safe stinks. Ford exploers
have a very poor record and it is the last car I would put my daughter
in. Then if you think 4x is going o be safer than FWD on ice and snow,
guess again. YOu are far more likely to loose it and take a trip to
ditch with 4x4/rear wheel drive than with FWD. I lived for a while
where there was snow and ice on road 6 months a year and I had 2 4x4's
and a Camary. The Toyota wa the vehicle of choice on long trips in
that climate and far more stabile. FWD is the closest thing to a no
brainer on slick pavement for a young drive that you can get. Anyone
that tells you otherwise has not been there and done that. BTW, While
I lived in snow country there was a young 16 year old girl driving to
school in the family 4x4 that lost it and hit a car coming the
opposite way and was killed. When you start to skid in 4x4 you are
basically screwed unless you have the persence of mind to get out of
4x4 and gas quickly (which you cannot do with pushbutton 4x4 anyway)
-----------------
TheSnoMan.com

SnoMan > wrote:

>On 6 Jan 2007 11:10:26 -0800, "asdf3b" >
>wrote:
>
>>Greetings! My daughter is going to drive soon. What should be the
>>vehicle for her from safety point of view - Car like Toyota Camry vs
>>SUV like Ford Explorer or small truck like Toyota Tacoma extended cab?
>>With thanks.
>
>
>THis is easy, a Camary or the like because you a less likely to loose
>control in a emergency manuver and more likely to avoid a accident.
>Toyota Camarys crash well (I know first hand several years ago ) THe
>mentality that you need a battle tank to be safe stinks. Ford exploers
>have a very poor record and it is the last car I would put my daughter
>in. Then if you think 4x is going o be safer than FWD on ice and snow,
>guess again. YOu are far more likely to loose it and take a trip to
>ditch with 4x4/rear wheel drive than with FWD. I lived for a while
>where there was snow and ice on road 6 months a year and I had 2 4x4's
>and a Camary. The Toyota wa the vehicle of choice on long trips in
>that climate and far more stabile. FWD is the closest thing to a no
>brainer on slick pavement for a young drive that you can get. Anyone
>that tells you otherwise has not been there and done that. BTW, While
>I lived in snow country there was a young 16 year old girl driving to
>school in the family 4x4 that lost it and hit a car coming the
>opposite way and was killed. When you start to skid in 4x4 you are
>basically screwed unless you have the persence of mind to get out of
>4x4 and gas quickly (which you cannot do with pushbutton 4x4 anyway)
>-----------------
>TheSnoMan.com

I some what agree with your comments on a 4x4. However, a AWD works
much better than a front wheel drive. I currently have 2 4x4 and 1
AWD. For just driving on slick paved roads I will take the AWD any
day. For dirt or gravel I would take 4x4 for myself, for my wife it
would be the AWD.
--
Jim Rusling
More or Less Retired
Mustang, OK
http://www.rusling.org

On Sun, 07 Jan 2007 20:23:51 -0600, Jim Rusling >
wrote:

>I some what agree with your comments on a 4x4. However, a AWD works
>much better than a front wheel drive. I currently have 2 4x4 and 1
>AWD. For just driving on slick paved roads I will take the AWD any
>day. For dirt or gravel I would take 4x4 for myself, for my wife it
>would be the AWD.


I dis agree on ice because AWD gives you a fals sense of security
sometimes and the only AWD that it really viable is one with a
differentail between front and rear axle to fully allow for different
wheel speed on differrent paths of rolling radius. . Automatic 4x4
that has not center differentail does not realy qualify as AWD and
shouldm not be called it if not diff is present. I have a old 79 J20
with fulltime 4x4 with a diff between from and rear axle that can be
manually locked and it is well manored on ice for a 4x4 but I still
prefer FWD for a young driver. I have twin daughter attending a
college away from home and they have a FWD car with traction control
and ABS and I feel better about them being in it than in any 4x4 made
today in Detroit.
-----------------
TheSnoMan.com

SnoMan > wrote:

>On Sun, 07 Jan 2007 20:23:51 -0600, Jim Rusling >
>wrote:
>
>>I some what agree with your comments on a 4x4. However, a AWD works
>>much better than a front wheel drive. I currently have 2 4x4 and 1
>>AWD. For just driving on slick paved roads I will take the AWD any
>>day. For dirt or gravel I would take 4x4 for myself, for my wife it
>>would be the AWD.
>
>
>I dis agree on ice because AWD gives you a fals sense of security
>sometimes and the only AWD that it really viable is one with a
>differentail between front and rear axle to fully allow for different
>wheel speed on differrent paths of rolling radius. . Automatic 4x4
>that has not center differentail does not realy qualify as AWD and
>shouldm not be called it if not diff is present. I have a old 79 J20
>with fulltime 4x4 with a diff between from and rear axle that can be
>manually locked and it is well manored on ice for a 4x4 but I still
>prefer FWD for a young driver. I have twin daughter attending a
>college away from home and they have a FWD car with traction control
>and ABS and I feel better about them being in it than in any 4x4 made
>today in Detroit.
>-----------------
>TheSnoMan.com

The AWD on the wife's Mountaineer has a proportional differential
between the front and rear. It does have the disadvantage of being
hard to tell just how slick the road is.
--
Jim Rusling
More or Less Retired
Mustang, OK
http://www.rusling.org

On Sun, 07 Jan 2007 21:42:02 -0600, Jim Rusling >
wrote:

>The AWD on the wife's Mountaineer has a proportional differential
>between the front and rear. It does have the disadvantage of being
>hard to tell just how slick the road is.


I was reading yesterday that the Subary Legacy was voted the safest
and most stable car on road by insurance industry and NTSA. It is a
FWD car that has AWD via a viscous coupling between front a rear axles
-----------------
TheSnoMan.com

SnoMan > wrote:

>On Sun, 07 Jan 2007 21:42:02 -0600, Jim Rusling >
>wrote:
>
>>The AWD on the wife's Mountaineer has a proportional differential
>>between the front and rear. It does have the disadvantage of being
>>hard to tell just how slick the road is.
>
>
>I was reading yesterday that the Subary Legacy was voted the safest
>and most stable car on road by insurance industry and NTSA. It is a
>FWD car that has AWD via a viscous coupling between front a rear axles
>-----------------
>TheSnoMan.com

From everything I have heard it is. The AWD also makes it handle well
on slick roads.
--
Jim Rusling
More or Less Retired
Mustang, OK
http://www.rusling.org