Parents with Evo's
 

Hello everyone, I wanted to have a discussion about a topic that has been discussed, but I don't think it has ever had it's own thread. I know some people say Evo's are unsafe and all that, but I also know that there are parents here that bring their kids in their Evo's and seem to feel that it is safe. I was just wondering how many people out there have young children and own an Evo.

I'm wondering this because I had a few questions.

-Knowing the lack of crash test ratings for the Evo, how safe do you feel your kids are?
-Do you think there is a real problem with toting kids around in your Evo, or do you have another car that is used for daily purposes?

I have a young son (under a year) and I was wondering how parents that drive Evo's feel about the safety of the car. I'm in the process of selling my current car, but I was hoping to get a used Evo or STi. I know the Subaru has very good crash test ratings, but it has some other problems I'd rather not have to worry about (blowing motors in the newer models).

I don't want to risk the safety of my family just because of a stupid car, but I see a lot of parents driving Lancer OZ's and Ralliarts (the older ones) and I figure they can't be too bad safety-wise if that many parents use them.

Any insight is appreciated!

I've seen a lot of crash photos and read a lot of crash stories in regards to evo's

these cars despite their lackluster crash test ratings do appear to do a great job of keeping passengers safe

From what I have seen the car comes out to be pretty strong. Assuming your not driving like an idiot I think it should be fine. There are always the the other people on the road and I think the evos weakness is getting t-boned. But when you compare passive and active safety an evo has the upper hand with a proper driver.

At the end of the day if you are really concerned about safety you might feel more comfortable in a volvo. Take a look at the S60R. It wont be an evo performance wise but it does a pretty good job and its a lot more luxurious and obviously safer.

it's really not the car, it's the driver. alot of the crashes have been from street racing, corner carving, etc., etc. the vehicle is as safe as any vehicle on the road in the compact car class. of course, it would get crushed in a head on, or flipping into a ditch or something, and at that point, it's up to god to decide if that person would survive. really, parents should get kids a beater pickup or old car ( i had a 78 coupe deville, built like a tank.), and not get a car they want. they should learn to drive, earn it and buy it later in life.


edit: oh, i thought you were getting this car for your kids. ummmm, yeah, if you are safe on the road, theres no reason the car shouldn't be safe, but like a previous post said, you may be more comfortable in something else. good luck!

I totally agree. What kind of child/teen needs this car with this performance level??? If this car is given to someone and their age ends in -teen, it should come with a matching casket to skip the middleman.

I have no hesitation taking any of my children in my Evo. My youngest is now 4, my oldest 17. It is also the vehicle I typically take my older kids skiing in when I go to southern VT to ski. With the AWD, crisp steering, 4-wheel disc brakes and ABS, I think it’s safer than my wife’s Durango. Of course I would not want to “take on” an 18-wheeler in either vehicle.

But I would not let my 17-year old drive it ever (I know that was not your question).

I would think Mitsu would engineer the Evo with some safety in mind since this is basically a production version of a rally car. Although I dont slide my car sideways through trees at 100 mph I still think it is a pretty safe vehicle for its size and class, especially for regular everyday driving. I have seen pictures posted of some pretty gnarly looking wrecks where the Evo kept the passengers safe, but bad accidents can stilll happen regardless of the type of car you drive.

I have always felt safe in my Evo's and so have my kids. I have children and they are in good hand. Most of it has to do with the driver being alert to any road hazards.

.. I worked hard for my own car and i am only 17. I pay for everything.

The only accident that happened was from a retarded lady flying up the shoulder of the road so she could pass all the traffic as i was turning into a parking lot. Then bam! She nailed the passenger side doors. She was doing like 45-50 and didn't do that much damage. The worst part was that i had to swerve out the way and go off the road into a sign to avoid a head on... So yeah these cars are pretty strong lol.

By the way all of my friends parents don't mind in the least bit when they get into my car because they know i am responsible.

As everyone else has stated it might not have the highest crash ratings, but you have more control over your car then most cars on the street.

ive had fast cars since i was 16yrs old.. .

16yrs old had an srt4 "387whp"

18yrs got an sti "370whp"

20yrs old Have the evo now "351whp"

Never go any major tickets other then little stupid onces.. and have never Crashed any of my cars Ever... i would def my kid at 16 drive a fast sport car...

if u think about is 230-250whp "stock" really that fast?? nahhh

I take my son in my evo on a regular basis and I feel safe taking him in it. I will say that I wanted to wait until he was forward facing and his neck muscles were developed and strong enough to ride in my car.

I must also say that I could not care less about crash test ratings on the evo. The government taking a car and driving it head first into a concrete wall prooves nothing to me. What does matter are the little things that cannot be quantified by driving head forst into a wall. Like stability, ability to manuever out of crash situations, and great brakes. I feel that my driving skills mixed with a good car will allow me to avoid many crashes, and the car has saved me from crashing plenty of times. For example, I was going to go to my parent's house which was along a long dark road at night. I was going to take the wife's jeep but decided to take the evo. While driving, I had a weird feeling about the dark two lane road and thought to myself, I hope I don't see any deer. As soon as I said it a group of deer ran across the road, I had to stop immediately and I know that if I had been in the wife's jeep I would be picking venison out of the grill. But due to the fantastic brembo brakes, I was able to sop and see about 10 deer run across the road.

+100000000000

Turbo busas are safe too, if you don't ride it like a complete moron. Your vehicle is only going to be as safe as your driving behavior. If want to push the car, do it only when it is safe to do so, and never when there is a passenger. You can drive the safest Volvo on the planet but if you hit a telephone pole going 130mph you are still far from being "safe". That being said, I also believe that these cars are a little dangerous for young drivers. Younger drivers have the dangerous combination of being completely unskilled at driving with high horsepower. Its a simple equation really, irresponsibility+ no driving skills + high horsepower = crash (or a dead little boy).

^ nice miss.

I travel with my daughter in my evo from time to time. I drive like a grandma...rpms probably don't pass 3500rpm

No car is 100% safe, and there are cars out there that have better passive passenger protection than Evos. The 2004 Evo has five stars for side impact (rear seat) and two stars for side impact (front seat) - see link below. If you kids ride in the back they ought to be pretty safe. Ultimately the choice is yours. I have three children (7, 9, 11 y/o) and they all ride on the rear seat of my Evo regularly.

http://www.safercar.gov/portal/site/...resh=1&ID=2893

I'm sick of hearing **** like that. The evo is slow stock and even lightly modded. Its awd and is very easy to control.