T6 kombi, Safety for rear passengers
- Thread starter Sirloin07
- Start date
I'd much rather have my kids in the back of the Kombi than a car.
Someone rear ends you, you have far more room to absorb that impact before they reach the rear passengers (and metal). Not many cars have that big a boot. I would say as safe if not safer than most vehicles.
Or tie wrap them to the roof rack when they start answering back.
I was thinking the same, I'd rather have the kids in my kombi than a car, my thoughts are that we are all at a higher ride higher for starters, so if a car hits us in the side we'll be safer than a car?! and like @Alan Walsh says the big rear area would absorb a rear end. I can't find anything negative on the internet in terms of passenger safety for the T6?
I think that the fact that the rear seats are isofix says a lot?.
ISOFIX is a fantastic car seat safety system that helps to give you peace of mind when you are out travelling with your child. With statistics showing that two thirds of car seats are incorrectly fitted, car seatconnoisseurs created the 'International Standards Organisation
ISOFIX is a fantastic car seat safety system that helps to give you peace of mind when you are out travelling with your child. With statistics showing that two thirds of car seats are incorrectly fitted, car seatconnoisseurs created the 'International Standards Organisation
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Seen more wrecked cars then I care to remember. Cut many a person out of them, some in better condition than others. In my last two cars I specced rear seat airbags to ensure my kids are offered the same level of protection as I get in the front. As we all know that option is not available in a T6. However, does it worry me - not unduly! As many have said you are a lot higher in the T6 so a side impact from a car is likely to put the majority of the kinetic force through the floor pan, and so keep the passenger cell reasonably intact. Anything bigger than a car and it's gonna be a bad day for everyone in the vehicle - but then it would be if we we're in car and got t-boned by something bigger.
Thanks for your post @DaveyB makes a lot of sense
It's all I ever think of with vehicles. Can't help it.
If you are one of the people with a bulkhead in your van, you're even better off. Saw the aftermath of a van with bulkhead, that had run up the embankment on the m40, gone airbourne at the top, taken out an 11kv power line, landed on its roof, flipped back on wheels and then buried itself in a hedge. Driver was carried out with nothing more than a smashed ankle. Bulkhead stopped the roof crushing.
If it was not for it all being filmed by a couple of builders on their dash cam you'd never have believed it.
If you are one of the people with a bulkhead in your van, you're even better off. Saw the aftermath of a van with bulkhead, that had run up the embankment on the m40, gone airbourne at the top, taken out an 11kv power line, landed on its roof, flipped back on wheels and then buried itself in a hedge. Driver was carried out with nothing more than a smashed ankle. Bulkhead stopped the roof crushing.
If it was not for it all being filmed by a couple of builders on their dash cam you'd never have believed it.
Pretty much all modern cars have rear airbags, and vans have to pass different "levels" of safety. This whole question did bother me for awhile, and finding NCAP ratings for the Transporter was difficult, but I did find one for a Shuttle and it did ok, but only ok.
The lack of side airbags in the rear worries me, and I did spec them in the front, but I only hope the extra ride height and sheer bulk of metal around us would protect us, but who knows.
Biggest issue I guess would be seat and seatbelt strength and anchoring.
If it's a factory Kombi then you should have nothing to worry about.
But panel vans modified into Kombi's, or campers with RnR beds, need to make sure the seats and the seatbelts are properly anchored and pull tested - not just attached to the ply floor with a few 5x50 self tappers.
If it's a factory Kombi then you should have nothing to worry about.
But panel vans modified into Kombi's, or campers with RnR beds, need to make sure the seats and the seatbelts are properly anchored and pull tested - not just attached to the ply floor with a few 5x50 self tappers.
A 2013 T5 Shuttle got 4 stars from NCAP, I wonder if the T6 has improved? The new Vito gets 5 stars, and looked a lot steadier on the collision avoidance part of the test.
I do wonder what would happen if the tests were repeated with some cheapo 275/45 20"s etc?
I do wonder what would happen if the tests were repeated with some cheapo 275/45 20"s etc?
Sorry I was thinking of airbags for forward head movement and not referring to side airbags.
I haven't pulled my Kombi apart but don't think the have side impact bars in the doors . If you are carrying small children I would go for car seats with good side protection . If they are just using the van seat belts they will just get pushed over away from the impacted as I have been hit hard in the side in a small van and just got thrown over to the pasenger seat with out injury .If you carry stuffing the back like bikes then fit a good strong bulkhead so things can't push through the back of the seat
Hope none of use ever find out .
Hope none of use ever find out .
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