>I did a little more searching and found a site with crash tests of
>different flat front vans (Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, and VW).  The
>test was conducted by Germany's ADAC (the organization that invented the
>offset frontal impact).  The conclusion was that all the other vans either
>cause their drivers to be dead or heavily injured, only the driver of the
>VW would have escaped with only very minor injuries.  I have to apologize
>for the fact that the site is in German only, but I think that the pictures
>say it all!
>
>http://www.vw-bus-land.de/   go to   VW-Bus Berichte    and then to
>
>Transporter im Crashtest Sondertruck aus ADAC Motorwelt hier als PDF-File (
>1,6 MB )

Toyota Hiaces are very solid, as can be attested by the
previous-to-current model (1980-1989) which hit a concrete bridge
abutment on a university fieldtrip, carrying a full load of people
(about 9, not being an extralong wheelbase). It wasn't going slowly
when it hit, either. The alternatives at the last moment were:
head-on with car coming across bridge; dive into gorge below; hit
bridge. No injuries to people, though the van was a writeoff; however
it was driven about 400km to get home. No, I wasn't the driver!

Isuzu's Fargo van (sold In Australia with Holden badges) is so
rust-prone I wouldn't be confident in one of these at all, though the
basic structure is probably OK when new. Mitsubishi's Delica has a
strong chassis but I have heard that there is no frontal
reinforcement above this. I don't have much close-up familiarity with
Nissan vans, though there are plenty here, both large and small.
--
Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut