Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2008-09 models
Tested vehicle: 2008 Saturn VUE XE 4-door 4wd
The Saturn VUE was redesigned and enlarged for the 2008 model year. Its size and weight have increased sufficiently to reclassify it as a midsize SUV (2002-07 models were classified as small SUVs.) Frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by General Motors.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Leg/foot, left | |
| Leg/foot, right | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics |
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTF0713 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 7 |
| Left (cm) | 11 |
| Center (cm) | 10 |
| Right (cm) | 13 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 5 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 4 |
| Right (cm) | 2 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | -2 |
| Rearward (cm) | -1 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 2 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTF0713 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 226 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.2 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 6 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.29 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 41 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 4.9 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 6.5 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 0 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 1 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.56 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 1.12 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 2.0 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 2.9 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 82 |
| Right | 144 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2008-09 models built after December 2007
Tested vehicle: 2008 Saturn VUE XE 4-door 4wd with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags
The Saturn VUE was redesigned and enlarged for the 2008 model year. Its size and weight have increased sufficiently to reclassify it as a midsize SUV (2002-07 models were classified as small SUVs).
Two tests of the VUE were conducted. In the first test, the side curtain airbag did not deploy properly, and the rear passenger dummy's head was hit by the window sill of the rear door. This impact did not produce high head injury measures, but the head protection was inadequate. In response, General Motors redesigned the side curtain airbags to ensure more rapid inflation and greater extension of the airbag next to the rear dummy's head. In the second test, the fix was successful, and the head protection rating improved to Good. The side airbag modifications apply to all 2008 and later models manufactured after December 2007. (Information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on the driver door or adjacent B-pillar.)
The two vehicles are rated separately, except that the structural ratings for both vehicles are based on both tests.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Driver head protection | |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Rear passenger head protection | |
View of the vehicle and barrier just after the second of two crash tests.
View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.
Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag (second test shown).
Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag in the second test.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CES0733 | CES0741 |
|---|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -9.5 | -9.5 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | ||
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CES0741 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 389 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.7 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.0 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 35 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.7 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 38 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 34 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 3.70 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.61 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 3.1 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 1.7 |
| Combined force (kN) | 4.7 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.3 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 50 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 12 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | CES0741 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 152 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.1 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.5 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 27 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.6 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 33 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 25 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 3.27 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.38 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 1.1 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 2.8 |
| Combined force (kN) | 3.8 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.2 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 81 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | -25 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Manual cloth seats AHR
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Manual cloth seats AHR |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 56 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 49 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Pass |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 10.8 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 70 |
| Force rating | 1 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 26 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 332 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.