Chris S
11-22-2001, 06:01 AM
quote from autoweek about the accident:
"there was an accident under extreme conditions that don’t parallel those seen in daily driving. The incident demonstrates yet again that SUVs handle differently than do cars at the limits."
http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat_code=carnews &loc_code=index&content_code=02945750
A few summary notes:
- There was no intent to test real-world situations. It is a seat-of-the-pants extreme racing scenario to give subjective feedback about how a vehicle handles when driven through a slalom at the limit of it's abilities.
-the test was held in a parking lot, not on a controled surface.
- the reported speed is an average of the course, and there is no attempt to hold a steady speed, so there is no way to know exactly how fast the liberty was going when it entered the corner
- The guy spun the vehicle on the previous run, and continued the final run under hard throttle even though he had lifted two tires on the previous corner. The style of the test encourages this type of driving. Nothing wrong with this for a FYI test, but it's not the normal way a slalom test is conducted.
- the reported speed of 40 mph is among the best results of SUVs tested.
The conclusions I draw from this are:
-the Liberty handles great, possibly so good that it can inspire over confidence and make people forget they are in a truck, not a sports car.
-when a short wheel base SUV hits it's limits there is very little warning before it flips (hence all the warnings on the visors) .
-don't drive a SUV in a test designed for a vette unless you are willing to scratch the paint :p
"there was an accident under extreme conditions that don’t parallel those seen in daily driving. The incident demonstrates yet again that SUVs handle differently than do cars at the limits."
http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat_code=carnews &loc_code=index&content_code=02945750
A few summary notes:
- There was no intent to test real-world situations. It is a seat-of-the-pants extreme racing scenario to give subjective feedback about how a vehicle handles when driven through a slalom at the limit of it's abilities.
-the test was held in a parking lot, not on a controled surface.
- the reported speed is an average of the course, and there is no attempt to hold a steady speed, so there is no way to know exactly how fast the liberty was going when it entered the corner
- The guy spun the vehicle on the previous run, and continued the final run under hard throttle even though he had lifted two tires on the previous corner. The style of the test encourages this type of driving. Nothing wrong with this for a FYI test, but it's not the normal way a slalom test is conducted.
- the reported speed of 40 mph is among the best results of SUVs tested.
The conclusions I draw from this are:
-the Liberty handles great, possibly so good that it can inspire over confidence and make people forget they are in a truck, not a sports car.
-when a short wheel base SUV hits it's limits there is very little warning before it flips (hence all the warnings on the visors) .
-don't drive a SUV in a test designed for a vette unless you are willing to scratch the paint :p