While I agree that the Innova isn't a very safe car, and should be overlooked, I wonder if a blown tyre is the fault of the car, and not the owner. Now maybe other cars don't lead to death when a tyre blows, but otherwise... sounds more like cheapskate owners not changing their tyres in time, or not putting in enough air.

He wants/needs an MPV though, so that is not the issue. The issue is that the Innova was designed by Indonesian or Indian engineers, like the Avanza. It was meant to be a cheap but spacious mode of transport. I highly doubt that safety considerations played any role in the development of that car.

Better get an Exora, if it has to stay affordable.

The Exora is probably better. Much better: Touran, Sharan, C4 Grand Picasso, 5008, ... I'd even trust an Alza more.

Are we talking about the Malaysian Yaris or the European Yaris? European Yaris... well, the Innova has an weight advantage, but the European Yaris is quite good. Malaysian Yaris, no clue. It's a new Vios without the boot, which is a facelifted old Vios, which is a downgraded version of the previous gen European Yaris. The Malaysian Yaris certainly isn't at the height of safety tech, for that you'll have to look (in the B segment) towards the Kia Rio, Peugeot 208, Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost. The Preve is probably safer than those though, and it is cheaper.

If you are desperate to find a car less safe than the Innova, there's always the Perodua Viva.

You can't look at it in absolute terms. Some sedans are better than some MPVs and vice versa.

Generally speaking European and American consumers are the pickiest in terms of safety. That's why typically cars meant for those markets are the safest, because otherwise people won't buy them. Also, the newer the car DESIGN, the better. A brand new car which has been in production for 15 years is probably not as good as a 2 year old car that was launched 2 years ago. That is if all the tech and knowledge that was available at the time of development was put into the car. A car that was launched recently, but wasn't designed with safety in mind, just with production cost for example, won't be as safe as an older car where safety was a big concern.

ASEAN customers don't really care (enough), so models meant for them are... not that great. It is shifting a bit in Malaysia though. Proton for example puts a lot of effort into making their NEW models safer. The Waja got a poor rating, so did the Persona/Gen-2 (probably around 2 stars?). The Saga did better (3 stars), the Exora better yet (said to be 4 stars), the Preve and Suprima S have reached the standard of European cars and the best Japan has to offer. 5 stars.

Then there are several things to pay attention to. Generally speaking higher riding cars (MPVs, vans, SUVs, pickups), especially with a soft suspension, tend to roll more likely or can simply lose control. They are more likely to crash on their own. They do have a mass advantage, i.e. if say a pickup runs into a Viva, it will not slow down that much, the Viva has to absorb most of the forces. i.e. you'll kill the Viva passengers by running through it.

Stability control helps with the losing control part, which makes it especially important for those big, tall vehicles like MPVs. In general it is the most important safety feature a car can have, apart from seatbelts. More important than airbags. It also saves a lot of money, since it helps AVOIDING accidents. You're more likely able to steer away from an accident, and to stay in control of the car.

Then the part that is supposed to save your life/reduce injuries when an accident did happen.

For example the airbags. They only work together with seatbelts, because basically they are big explosions contained by a bag. Since the airbag needs to get "soft" before your head hits it, it needs to fill up with air very quickly. If you are already where the airbag will inflate at the time where it is still being filled with air, it is like being punched in the face. Very hard. While your head and body are moving towards the fist. But when wearing a seatbelt, when the car senses an accident and triggers the airbag it will also trigger explosives in the seat that will pull on the seatbelt, basically pulling you towards the seat. Then you will be slowly released so that your chest isn't injured too much. The airbag will then protect your head from hitting hard parts of the car at a very high speed. It will be a bit softer, and that's what saves lives.

The airbag needs to be where your head is moving towards, i.e. front airbags only help when you have a frontal collision. Side airbags, curtain airbags etc. only help when you have a side impact, so your body doesn't hit the door frame or window.

But all the airbags in the world don't help if the area where you are sitting collapses. You'll be squeezed to death. So a strong passenger structure is important as well.

And finally there is the crumple zone, the front end of the car basically. It should get rid of the engine if necessary (because the engine doesn't compress, but is pushed into the passenger area where it'll crush your legs), and otherwise crumple so that the area where you are sitting in isn't stopped as abruptly as possible. If the area is too soft, your tougher passenger area is stopped too abruptly, and you'll get injured by hitting the interior of the car. If the area is too hard, your tougher passenger area is stopped too abruptly, and you'll get injured by hitting the interior of the car.

So saying that one class of car is safer than another doesn't really work that well, and each feature has their own purpose, designed to protect you in one or another situation. They have to work together to protect you.

This post has been edited by kadajawi: Jun 11 2014, 06:24 PM

Well, yes and no. Higher mass is, very roughly, also a good thing.

But I would say sedans are more likely to be better, but really I don't want to generalize like that

If you want good safety without paying much your best bet are the Preve/Suprima and the upcoming Myvi competitor by Proton. Also any 6 airbag car with stability control on offer in Malaysia is probably a safe bet compared to the 2 airbag/no stability control ones that are offered.

The Datsun is most likely a 3rd world budget model, I would not expect much.