I would argue that a Nissan Leaf would be overall safer than a Crown Victoria.
First of all, the 2nd generation (2018/2019) Nissan Leaf seems to have a comparable weight as the Crown Victoria. From the data I've been looking at online, it's around 25% less weight than the CV, but definitely more than a Versa. Also, this weight is likely better distributed throughout the car instead of being concentrated in one place.
Another factor to consider is that the CV is an older vehicle (did they stop making them in 2012?), and in general newer cars are safer due to strong materials and safety features/design.
Also, the likelihood of a fire during an accident is greatly reduced (although still non-zero, as demonstrated by Tesla).
Yet he said the crown vic has "reinforced doors due to being a former detective's car." Also, are fires really that much of a worry when you get in an accident? I have seen very little of that happening... More likely probably that your alternator causes a fire.
According to https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24073770 (fire-related auto deaths in Sweden), this is a problem. Around 5% of auto-related deaths in Sweden involved burning cars, and around 1/3 of these deaths fire was the cause of death. Definitely not the main cause of death, it is a factor that has to be considered when looking at overall safety.
First of all, the 2nd generation (2018/2019) Nissan Leaf seems to have a comparable weight as the Crown Victoria. From the data I've been looking at online, it's around 25% less weight than the CV, but definitely more than a Versa. Also, this weight is likely better distributed throughout the car instead of being concentrated in one place.
Another factor to consider is that the CV is an older vehicle (did they stop making them in 2012?), and in general newer cars are safer due to strong materials and safety features/design.
Also, the likelihood of a fire during an accident is greatly reduced (although still non-zero, as demonstrated by Tesla).