nthach

You said post-collision response, which is what OnStar basically does.

FKL

Well I mean't on-board the cars core systems...Poor choice of wording on my part, my mistake if I was a bit indirect. What an airbag trigger will do. Unlock the car, shut off the fuel pump, activate the hazards, that's what I mean't. I believe the Honda may do the fuel pump part, but nothing else.

Nextourer

That doesn't explain the 8 airbags. It's not like if you're hit on the driver's side, the driver's curtian airbag will deploy and not the rear left passenger airbag. If it gets hit from the side, the entire curtain will deploy.

A corner hit will not deploy any airbags unless it's so hard, it sufficiently crushes the car and sets off the front airbag sensor. The side airbag sensors are in the b-pillar IIRC.

In case you're thinking I'm bagging on Honda, Toyota does the same mis-counting in Europe.

mmarshall

On Star does, to some extent, figure into air bag discussions. When one or more air bags fire in an On-Star-equipped vehicle, it automatically sends a distress signal to the On-Star communications center, pinpointing the car's location by GPS. The On-Star controller attempts to communcate with the people in the car, and, if no answer or they need help, immediately notifies the nearest police station, fire station, and towing company.

FKL

^No question, but you still have to consider the way the vehicle performs in the actual collision. GM has never had top tier ratings, especially the older malibu's and such, which had poor airbag counts, active/passive safety features, and crash performance (even if they did have onstar).

IS-SV

GM has hardly been a leader in safety in the automotive industry, right up to today on the verge of bankruptcy.

nthach

I'd hate to say it, but those look cheap - they look tacky or plasticky. Even Detroit can do a better job.

FKL

It's time to go actually use them in real life then. "looks" cheap on a computer monitor means little to nothing. All the sunroof dials have a spring return, are all lighted, and all have two downward pointing LEDs. Not to mention the fact that they are all coated in soft touch paint.

nthach

I'm sorry, I've been in a few VWs ranging from MKIII Jetta VR6s to MKV GTIs and while VW knows how to design a logical and somewhat user friendly interior, their materials aren't made to last.

I have to air this out in public, but I think you see VW as the messiah. People in the real world can care less about VW's little touches that 90% of the public won't even notice. There's a TON of people who are PERFECTLY content with a Corolla, Civic, or Focus. The only people who would consider a VW are die-hard dub-heads or hipsters.

But I will say they are good at making a hot hatch, the GTI is probably on top of its class.