Volvos are well known for their durability, which is why parents feel safe handing older ones over to their kids. However, most people think that because modern cars are made using lots of plastics, the Swedish wagons have gone soft on us.
That's not so! This video just came out of Poland and shows the aftermath of a highway crash that took place this weekend. The vehicles involved are a relatively new Volvo XC70 and a Fiat you may not remember.
That little pile of scrap used to be called the Seicento. It was built between 1997 and 2010 at the same Polish factory that currently assembles the 500 and the Ford Ka. They made over one million of these 3.3-meter city cars with 1.1-liter engines, and we have nothing nice to say about any of them.
First of all, just because the Fiat crashed into the Volvo doesn't mean that the accident is his fault. But let's just focus on the aftermath. The XC70 now has scratches and dents on the rear bumper, but it's still in one piece. In fact, we would even bother taking it to the repair shop.
Meanwhile, the Fiat's front end has been completely crumpled. Nobody is ever going to correct that crushed end or try to mend the engine that's leaking fluids everywhere. The Seicento weighs only 730 kilograms, so it's built with fragile metal. The fact that the cabin isn't crumpled tells us the incident took place at relatively low speed. By comparison, the XC70 off-road wagon can weigh as much as 1.9 tons, which is the same as an SUV.
Even when new, the 600 was a deathtrap. In European crash tests, the Fiat Seicento was only awarded a 1.5-star rating and fractionally beat the worst contenders in the history of Euro NCAP. Frankly, it's better to take the bus, considering it turns into scrap metal every time a minor crash happens.
That little pile of scrap used to be called the Seicento. It was built between 1997 and 2010 at the same Polish factory that currently assembles the 500 and the Ford Ka. They made over one million of these 3.3-meter city cars with 1.1-liter engines, and we have nothing nice to say about any of them.
First of all, just because the Fiat crashed into the Volvo doesn't mean that the accident is his fault. But let's just focus on the aftermath. The XC70 now has scratches and dents on the rear bumper, but it's still in one piece. In fact, we would even bother taking it to the repair shop.
Meanwhile, the Fiat's front end has been completely crumpled. Nobody is ever going to correct that crushed end or try to mend the engine that's leaking fluids everywhere. The Seicento weighs only 730 kilograms, so it's built with fragile metal. The fact that the cabin isn't crumpled tells us the incident took place at relatively low speed. By comparison, the XC70 off-road wagon can weigh as much as 1.9 tons, which is the same as an SUV.
Even when new, the 600 was a deathtrap. In European crash tests, the Fiat Seicento was only awarded a 1.5-star rating and fractionally beat the worst contenders in the history of Euro NCAP. Frankly, it's better to take the bus, considering it turns into scrap metal every time a minor crash happens.