Mini Safety

[postmaster]

I am under the impression that a lot of work went into the safety of this car. In my search of safety rating, I couldn't find anything on the safety of the rear passengers. Does anybody have any experience or pictures of Minis being rear-ended?

Thanks,
-C

[DriftingE30]

the mini has great front and side crash ratings but the rear isn't soo good. But it's beter than a civic. you can find tha ratings on www.iihs.org .

[bimmerdream]

A roommate of mine went off the road in her Mini and flew into an industrial garbage container at about 50-60 mph head on... Needless to say she walked away from the accident with minor scratches and bruises. I was the 3rd person on the scene and saw the damage with my own eyes. To say the least, I was quite amazed. The front of the car was totally gone, the engine mounts were ripped off, cracked block, it looked like someone cut the front of the car off with a laser gun or something... Wicked! :eek:

[Doctor Wha]

Rear passenger ratings are inconclusive, because as one report cited, there were difficulties in placing dummies in the back seats. Some suggest the back seats are there primarily for the insurance classification, as opposed to practical use over long distances. There may well be something to that. You could take three people to lunch fairly easily, but I would be very wary of screaming "Road trip!" and trying to take your buddies across many state lines or, God forbid, adolescent to older kids on a long excursion. In practical terms of its function, it's best to think of it as a two-seater.

But yes, a tremendous amount of thought and attention has been put into the MINI's safety systems and capabilites. When discussing the car with my insurance agent, we did a comparison of the insurance company's own independent ratings, and found that the MINI actually equalled the rating of what I had been driving: A full-size '97 T-bird!

I have no reservations at all about feeling safe in the MINI. Between the safety systems, its performance, and stability controls, the MINI is far safer than many other cars out there.

Good luck,
DW