IIHS’ new, more stringent crash test: 8 of 11 luxury cars perform poorly [Videos]

[Hofmeister]

BMWNA Statement on IIHS “Small Overlap” Frontal Crash Test (F30 Tested)
Overall, BMW is pleased with the performance of its Top Safety Pick-winning 3 Series Sedan in the new IIHS small overlap 40mph frontal crash test. The new test, described by the IIHS President as “severe,” was performed on eleven segment-similar vehicles, and the substantial damage inflicted on the driver’s side of each vehicle is evidence of the test’s unusually violent nature. Active and passive elements of BMW’s Integrated Safety System successfully shielded the crash test dummy from life-threatening injuries. BMW values the research of the IIHS, and will continue to develop our comprehensive safety engineering philosophy comprised of equal elements for accident avoidance, accident survivability, and post-crash assistance

 

[mini_cooper4]

I love safety
BMW did really good... actually the 3-Series was the only car that kept the dash and steering wheel in position to help the airbag deploy right in front of the drivers head

 

[Gullwing]

The MKZ and Acura both just bounced off to the side, wasn't as much of a direct hit as the others. So I think they would fair much worse if they hit more head on.
The Volvo did so well because the crappy suspension broke the wheel off... which bounce across the road and into a school bus killing four special ed kids. Wonder what would happen if the wheel actually stayed on.

 

[K-A]

Out of all those cars, in a real world accident, which can come at any of the billions of angles available, I'd choose to be in the C-Class without a doubt. Still the safest overall car of the group, based on majority of data and M-B's safety engineering knowledge/proof, in my opinion.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

After 100+ years of commitment to safety research, despite what these lab tests may say, I'd put my life in the hands of Mercedes Benz when it comes to vehicle safety.

 

[mini_cooper4]

Yes I guess it's great to die driving a C-Class but I'll take the 3-Series just to stay alive...yeah I know it's my crazy way of thinking

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Maybe Wolf will be resourceful enough and nice enough to dig up some of the 'real world' data based on crash data from Germany to show whats actually happening out on the open roads. I read an article 1-2 years back where it was becoming increasingly difficult for Mercedes to conduct research out on the roads because the accident rates, injury rates and fatality rates for MB vehicles had become so low.

 

[Wolfgang]

This may be the article you mention, Mr. Mercedes.


Auto-swerve Merc 'in five years'
12 January 2010

• Steers around pedestrians
• Within five years
• Different from Volvo system

Mercedes-Benz is working on a new safety system than can automatically steer around pedestrians to avoid accidents.

Ulrich Mellinghoff, head of safety development at Mercedes, says it's likely to appear within the next five years.

Talking to What Car? at the Detroit motor ahow, Mellinghoff told us that in 80% of accidents with people, just 20% of a car's frontal area hits the pedestrian.

This means it would take only 40-50cm of movement for a Mercedes to automatically swerve around a pedestrian that had been detected by the car.

Driver should react first

Mellinghoff says motorists must always accept ultimate responsibility for safety, so there will be warnings to try and encourage the driver to react first, like in other Mercedes systems.

Mercedes' pedestrian crash prevention system differs from Volvo's CitySafe, which brakes to avoid a collision.

It will add to the package of systems that are already available including the drowsiness monitor recently introduced on the E-Class and planned to appear in every Mercedes.

Mercedes safety record

Although Mellinghoff thinks it may be impossible to eliminate all accidents - an ambitious goal Volvo has set - he says that it has recently become difficult to find real-world accidents involving Mercedes drivers that have been killed or seriously injured.

Mercedes has been visiting accidents for decades, like Volvo, but Mellinghoff says they haven't found a crash in which a Mercedes driver was seriously injured or killed in the past two years.

http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/auto-swerve-merc-in-five-years-/246478

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[Merc1]

Mercedes is allowed to goof here and there, but guys this is a very tough test. I mean I don't think I would wanna be in any car in this sort of crash.


M

 

[K-A]

If you really watch the video's, you'll see the cars all hit at different points, making it hard to say which one is even safer in this exact crash. For example, the TL fares so well because it DOESN'T contact head on into the safety cage. The car pretty much does a major sideswipe. Therefore, no direct head on into the A-Pillar, like on the other cars.

Also, the Volvo's wheel indeed does fly off, which is probably a huge reason as to why it scored so well, considering wheel intrusion is what hurt the C-Classes floorpan so badly.

It's no coincidence that the 3 and C track very straightly and solidly into the barrier, which in a test where it's a non-movable barrier, it works against them. However, in real life, against another moving car, it wouldn't be far fetched to assume that the C Class standing its ground so well might be a benefit instead of the Lincoln or Acura, who pretty much flail to the side right away, not to mention the Volvo's suspension unable to even keep the wheel on the car (by design to protect from a crash like this, or weakly mounted suspension, that's the question?).

 

[Yaz]

That 3er's interior just fell apart. Everything came off, or out of the dash.

 

[K-A]

That 3er's interior just fell apart. Everything came off, or out of the dash.

Damn, you're right. The whole dash practically splits open.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Wolf, you're a legend! Not even 1 hour after I posted and you had the article at hand.

 

[ZicZachZo]

After watching the videos a couple of time on repeat, they don't crash at different angles. They are all measured the same distance from the middle of the hood to the side of impact. The cars that faired the best managed to brush away from the barrier before the A-Pillar really made impact as it did with the TL and S60. Maybe there is some sort of structural difference to make this happen? I'm not sure. Something tells me it wasn't just luck...

Although this is only one test, it is still a thorn in the side of these brands and I can imagine their internal dilemma is way more serious than what their press releases state. The public view the IIHS in high regard and if this is a permanent change to their testing I'm sure all auto manufacturers will be racing to make sure their cars pass this new test.

 

[K-A]

After watching the videos a couple of time on repeat, they don't crash at different angles. They are all measured the same distance from the middle of the hood to the side of impact. The cars that faired the best managed to brush away from the barrier before the A-Pillar really made impact as it did with the TL and S60. Maybe there is some sort of structural difference to make this happen? I'm not sure. Something tells me it wasn't just luck...

Although this is only one test, it is still a thorn in the side of these brands and I can imagine their internal dilemma is way more serious than what their press releases state. The public view the IIHS in high regard and if this is a permanent change to their testing I'm sure all auto manufacturers will be racing to make sure their cars pass this new test.

I think it has to do with how the A-Pillars are angled. In this EXACT one-in-a-million-ways type of crash, where they point a portion of the front end to hit the barrier, the cars with A-Pillars further out seem to be threatened more into colliding head on with the barrier. The TL nor Lincoln go head on into the A-Pillar. Had they done so, I'm sure we'd see much more collapse of the safety cage than the M-B/BMW/etc. who do go head on into the safety-cage/A-Pillar.

 

[Wolfgang]

Judging by their statement, Mercedes-Benz accident research indicates the second test from the bottom in this graph may be more realistic for crashes experienced in Mercedes-Benz vehicles than the test above it, which the IIHS picked for their latest evaluation.

Picture credit -- Mercedes-Benz Japan

Dirk Ockel, head of accident research at Mercedes-Benz: "When two cars collide they tend to hook themselves into each other. If you had put on the corner of a deformable obstacle corner, the results would probably be more realistic. Of course we will deal with this test because either way, customers are confused by the results." Translated from Spiegel Online/MB Passion

 

[Mr Robert]

Pretty much expected. Manufacturers seem to build their cars to pass tests, the real world is a harder nut to crack.

 

[DblPen]

I love how in this forum mercedes will always be the safest car no matter what tests say. Also im happy that we have so many crash test experts who can identify safest cars from video footage

 

[Hofmeister]

Does anyone know when the results will be published for different classes of car? I'm interested to see how the 5er/E-Class/A6 because they're all of the same competing generation, unlike the 3er/C-Class/A4 fiasco, cos the Bimmer is a generation ahead.

 

[mini_cooper4]

That 3er's interior just fell apart. Everything came off, or out of the dash.

That's the idea... most important is to keep the steering wheel at position and that's what breaks the dash