[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

If it is purely the result of the crash, IMO the body-shell of the XUV is poorly designed and built, all in the aims of getting to that 1700 kg kerb weight.

That body shell saved all the occupants of the car inspite of the spin and roll over and without airbags. I would call it a well designed body shell.

The XUV has a 4* crash test rating which is not at all bad for a SUV.

I am really curious why the side airbags did not deploy though. Is it possible that the rear passengers did not wear seat belts and that is the reason the side airbags were not triggered?

[vaspro]

I have a suspicion that car speed should be much higher than 90kmph for this kind of aquaplaning spin to happen. I have driven XUV W6 (Zoom Car vehicles) multiple times through rains at 100-110kmph and didn't feel car lost control any point of time.

Some interesting points about Aquaplaning and how to prevent it:

http://www.2pass.co.uk/aquaplaning.htm

Aquaplaning can be a terrifying experience, however, it is not the initial stages of an incident that will cause loss of control of the vehicle, it will be what the driver does in response the incident that will become the problem.

As soon as you feel the car begin to aquaplane just take your foot off the accelerator and DON'T use the brake.

http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/lear...de/Aquaplaning

How to prevent or reduce aquaplaning

Check your tyres and tyre inflation regularly.

Insufficient pressure strongly increases the risk of aquaplaning. If tyre pressures are 30% below that recommended then there is a sharp increase in the risk of aquaplaning.

Check your tyre wear and tread depth.

The more tread depth you have remaining on your tyres the more water you can disperse, reducing the risk of aquaplaning.

Reduce your speed.

Especially when approaching large puddles or areas of standing water

Would be curious to know the detailed facts once Mahindra diagnoses the ECU and other sensors. And why curtain airbags didn't deploy.

[srishiva]

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[Steeroid]

The occupants were obviously a blessed lot to walk away from this sort of a crash with minor or superficial injuries.

Some of those pictures, especially of the caved-in roof are scary - one would assume the worst in such instances, and indeed we have known of cases were less damage has resulted in death or permanent disability.

Your friend is blessed, and extremely lucky to walk away.

Out of interest, what tyres were they running?

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Out of interest, what tyres were they running?

Looks like continental cross contact, but they definitely look more than 8k kms run!

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...-ximg_0581.jpg

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Looks like continental cross contact, but they definitely look more than 8k kms run!

They're nearly bald - no wonder the vehicle spun, because the rear would've had no contact whatsoever.

OTOH the fronts look slightly better, perhaps that is what he was referring to as 'newish' - still don't look 8k kms new though.

[F150]

I am unable to conclude if the body shell is not strong or if it is supposed to crumble like that.
People who survived are very lucky.

[Hammer & Anvil]

This is the reason why the m&M dealership deal across the USA had to be cancelled that the Scorpio did not pass the crash tests.
Secondly they continue to sell the pick up version across Where teh 'buggy' need not pass tests as stringent as that in the US.
Everyone who owns a Scorpio will know of fatal accidents, in which people in the rear most have died.
No one cares in India.
Apart from this- the topic at hand, I agree with the first few analysis put forth- no frontal impact, aquaplaning- the driver was just driving too fast for the weather, the road, the tires and the quality of vehicle.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

That body shell saved all the occupants of the car inspite of the spin and roll over and without airbags. I would call it a well designed body shell.

The XUV has a 4* crash test rating which is not at all bad for a SUV.

I am really curious why the side airbags did not deploy though. Is it possible that the rear passengers did not wear seat belts and that is the reason the side airbags were not triggered?

I said so, considering that the pillars have crumbled, the roof has caved in and in some pictures we can see the B pillar caved in so much that the front passenger seat is outside the line of the body!!! That is not structural safety, the roof should have some rigid components to protect the head of the occupants, especially at the pillars.

[glenmz]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Are we sure that the damages seen in the pics are the result of the accident? or because locals stripped open the shell to rescue people? or because of the straps on the crane?
If it is purely the result of the crash, IMO the body-shell of the XUV is poorly designed and built, all in the aims of getting to that 1700 kg kerb weight.

The passengers came out of the window. So the panels were not disturbed for getting the people out.

Originally Posted by Steeroid

T
Out of interest, what tyres were they running?

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Looks like continental cross contact, but they definitely look more than 8k kms run!

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...-ximg_0581.jpg

The vehicle has run 83k odd now. The tyres were changed at about 75k Kms. He is sure about this fact. SUV tyres do last this long don' they? So I do not doubt this. About why the Contis look like this - Not sure sir!

Regarding the speed of the vehicle when it got into the spin - Lets wait if Mahindra agrees to investigate this further and get the details.

His XUV is the first generation one, and he is among the initial customers.

He will be travelling to Mangalore soon to get the vehicle released and start the proceedings.

[lucifer1881]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

When you look at this vehicle, you wonder how anyone at all could have survived!
This is one of the reasons that I am very glad I did not go the XUV route, though I have been an M&M loyalist for years.
The world has advanced. The needs of people are way different now. Safety is of top priority as is proven reliability in terms of safety.
I would be very careful when considering such vehicles in future!

On the contrary, I think this is a very good example of a body shell deforming to protect its inhabitants. Consequently, this gives you a reason to buy an XUV. Would the good old Ambassador's body shell have deformed? Good chance that it won't have. Would it have saved the occupants? Fat chance it would have.

Yes, the vehicle rolled over. Yes, the driver possibly lost control. We can argue till the cow comes home whether M&M was more responsible or the drive was more responsible. However, at the end all the occupants came out relatively unscathed. To me, that is a win for M&M.

[sbala]

I could see some folks here commenting that XUV structural safety is really bad. Occupants in this accident vehicle walked out safely. What else do we expect here? Or Am i missing something?

Side airbags not deploying is a different question all together.

[2500cc]

Originally Posted by lucifer1881

On the contrary, I think this is a very good example of a body shell deforming to protect its inhabitants. Consequently, this gives you a reason to buy an XUV. Would the good old Ambassador's body shell have deformed? Good chance that it won't have. Would it have saved the occupants? Fat chance it would have.

Yes, the vehicle rolled over. Yes, the driver possibly lost control. We can argue till the cow comes home whether M&M was more responsible or the drive was more responsible. However, at the end all the occupants came out relatively unscathed. To me, that is a win for M&M.

I second your thoughts mate, cant blame the manufacturer for insane driving in the bad road/weather conditions. I have seen people loosing lives in BMWs and Mercs in some nasty accidents, that doesnt make them inferior. We got to have some healthy fear and responsibility for the vehicles we drive and to the physics. In this case as you mentioned, it is definitely a win for M&M for keep the passengers safe.

[The Observer]

Thank Almighty that the occupants were safe and no pedestrians were injured too ! The pics show how nasty the accident was. I wish all the passengers a speedy recovery from any injury, especially the lady with the slipped disc. I also wish that they get over the shock which is more pronounced and takes a lot of time, company and encouragement to deal with ( i remember how my dad took a couple of months before he ever drove again after experiencing an accident involving car spin, he was very shaken that he lost control in a matter of milliseconds, and it took him a lot to get back to driving again)

I am no crash analysis investigator, but do not buy the theory that side impact air bags will not deploy unless there is a frontal collision - i think that defeats the purpose. In the crash test videos of the ecosport especially i have noticed that all airbags ( front , side and curtain) activate when there is a frontal collision, and during a side impact, the curtains alone deploy and NOT the front passenger/driver airbags.

Now in a roll over scenario - i am not sure if the airbags will deploy, this should be a function of where the sensors are placed to trigger the airbag deployment in the XUV 500. This is something Mahindra must clarify and also release information on the airbag deployment algorithm ( under what scenarios do airbags deploy and what conditions they do not) and also the exact location of the crash sensors, people paying big bucks ought to know !

Along with the ABS ESP ESC and all other jargons, the XUV 500 possesses a critical piece of steel - the side impact beams in the doors and i am quite sure this along with the strong body shell did well to protect its occupants. I am assuming the rear passengers were buckled up? . Side impact beams are not common in many vehicles - sadly.

On You tube there are 2 videos of the XUV 500 crash tests - but they only show frontal offset collision impact results and i assume the model tested had no side airbags ( or were deliberately deactivated for some reason)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxtc1goXbEo

Now there is another video showing the ABS tests on the XUV 500

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brttLXw-lt4

Check the video after 2.06 minutes to see how the XUV behaves under various braking scenarios ( with and without ABS) , it is interesting to note how it behaves in the "full braking on different surfaces" ( 3.16 minutes) and notice how the without ABS car goes into a spin ! Did for some strange reason the ABS fail? - I hope the investigation reveals the truth and your friend is compensated adequately

Meanwhile another video that shows how subtly aquaplaning occurs and how suddenly you lose control - scary !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mERAaeCrj0E

[latentpotential]

If the driver had cruise control on at the speed of 90, this is very possible a result of the same.

With cruise control on, when the car aquaplanes, the cruise control feels that the car has slowed down, and revs the engine upwards to bring the car back to speed as per its setting. Traction control comes in to picture only split second later when the driver would have tapped the brakes to try and control the car, but by then the control has already been lost and the situation unfolds in to a problem scenario.

I have been through a similar situation already, and fortunately, we regained control of the vehicle and avoided any major issues except a scare.