Today I watched in horror as some nitwit backed directly into my red Crossfire at work with enough force to push it foreword about 18 inches into a curb.

Amazingly there was no visible damage to the rear bumper. The repair estimate, mostly to inspect for damage, repaint the front and rear bumper and a precautionary alignment, was about $900. Fortunately the car was in neutral with the emergency on so I don't imagine there was any transmission damage. The bumpers on the Crossfire are incredible if this is any indication of their resiliency.

It doesn't seem to matter how defensively you drive or park, there is always some careless moron out there you will never avoid.

 

I think that's the reason the Crossfire has a four star in the crash test results

 

Good to hear the Crossfire can resist some bumps and bruises!

Crossfire has 5 star (the highest possible) NHTSA ratings for frontal impact to driver, side impacts, and rollover. It has a 4 star rating for frontal impact to the passenger. These are pretty impressive ratings.

But the ability of the bumper to resist damage has nothing to do with protection to passengers. IIHS does 5 mph bumper tests to determine how well the bumper protects damage to body panels, headlamps, etc. It is used to estimate the cost to repair damages. The IIHS hasn't tested the Crossfire for its 5 mph bumpers or its 40 mph frontal offset impact as of yet.

 

Here's this if any would like to look: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Cars/3249.html

 

I've been a paramedic for over twenty years, but the pictures of the Crossfires in the impact test crashes make me sick to my stomach... :lol: