You may be asking, "What the heck is a forward control van?" Forward control vans generally have the front axle under the front seats. These vans have no front compartment, so the occupants are very close to the front end of the van.
This series of crash tests, conducted in Germany, compared seven of these vans - the VW T3 Transporter, Mitsubishi L300, Isuzu WFR, Nissan Vanette, Nissan Urvan, Toyota Hiace, and Toyota Liteace - in a 40% offset crash test at 36 kph (about 22-23 mph) against a solid concrete wall.
For comparison, the IIHS's 40% offset, which nearly every vehicle made in the past ten years passes with flying colors, is conducted at 40 mph, which is about three times the kinetic energy over the same area of the front end.
With the exception of the Volkswagen, all vans did very poorly. Steering wheels were pressed into the chests of several dummies. Legs were crushed by intruding structure. Doors jammed (in the Liteace's case, both doors) and dummies were trapped inside. At 23 miles per hour.
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