Luxury Cars Flunk Damage Tests

Weak bumpers, expensive parts drive up costs of repairing high-end vehicles
By Heather McPherson,  Newser User
Posted Aug 2, 2007 2:40 PM CDT
Luxury Cars Flunk Damage Tests
The poorest performer was the Infiniti G35, which required estimated repair costs of $14,000, although the test, as Nissan spokespeople pointed out, do not necessarily reflect real-world results.   (Wikimedia Commons)

Luxury cars will rack up exorbitantly expensive damage after even low-speed impacts, a federal safety report says. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety numbers out today show that 11 high-end vehicles, including Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Nissan models, have bumpers that are too weak and impact absorbers that don't extend far enough—a costly trade-off of design over durability.

A Mercedes-Benz C-class sedan endured nearly $5,500 in damage when hit in its front bumper at a speed of just 6 mph. A straight-on impact with Nissan's Infiniti G35 caused $5,223 in repairs, and the total topped $14,000 after further testing. Besides costly service, high-priced parts are a major part of the problem, reports CNNMoney. (More cars stories.)

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