2017 Volkswagen Beetle
small car / 2-door hatchback
Small overlap front: driver-side
Rating applies to 2013-19 models built after March 2013
Tested vehicle: 2013 Volkswagen Beetle 2-door
The Volkswagen Beetle was redesigned for the 2012 model year after a one-year absence from the market. Beginning with 2013 models built after March 2013, the side airbags were reprogrammed to deploy in small overlap frontal crashes. Also, the door and B-pillar structure was modified to improve occupant protection. (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.)
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Hip/thigh | |
| Lower leg/foot | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics The dummy’s head barely contacted the frontal airbag before sliding off the left side as the steering column moved 12 cm to the right. Additionally, the seat belt allowed excessive forward excursion of the dummy’s head and torso, contributing to the head hitting the instrument panel. The seat-mounted combination head/torso side airbag did not deploy, despite the reprogramming, leaving the dummy's head vulnerable to contacts with side structure and outside objects. |
Action shot taken during the small overlap frontal crash test.
The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained reasonably well.
During the crash, the dummy's head and torso barely contacted the airbag before sliding off to the left as the steering column moved to the right. Additionally, the seat belt allowed the dummy to move too far forward, as is evident from the gap between the dummy's torso and the seat back, and the head hit the instrument panel.
Intrusion into the driver's space was reasonably well controlled, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CEN1316 |
|---|---|
| Lower occupant compartment | |
| Lower hinge pillar max (cm) | 17 |
| Footrest (cm) | 11 |
| Left toepan (cm) | 7 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 4 |
| Parking brake (cm) | |
| Rocker panel lateral average (cm) | 9 |
| Upper occupant compartment | |
| Steering column | 2 |
| Upper hinge pillar max (cm) | 5 |
| Upper dash (cm) | 11 |
| Lower instrument panel (cm) | 10 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CEN1316 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 293 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | not meas. |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.6 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 18 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.33 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 23 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 2.2 |
| Right | 1.6 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 2 |
| Right | 0 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 0.53 |
| Right | 0.55 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 2.1 |
| Right | 2.1 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 94 |
| Right | 79 |
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2012-19 models
Tested vehicle: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle 2-door
The Volkswagen Beetle was redesigned for the 2012 model year after a one-year absence from the market. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Volkswagen.
| 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 | VTF1120 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 3 |
| Left (cm) | 5 |
| Center (cm) | 7 |
| Right (cm) | 4 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 2 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 0 |
| Right (cm) | 0 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 0 |
| Rearward (cm) | -3 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 0 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTF1120 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 256 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | 25 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.0 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 31 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.24 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 34 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 0.5 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 2.5 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 0 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 9 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.40 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.76 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 1.5 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 3.3 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 78 |
| Right | 183 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2013-19 models built after March 2013
Tested vehicle: 2013 Volkswagen Beetle 2-door with standard front seat-mounted combination head and torso airbags
The Volkswagen Beetle was redesigned for the 2012 model year after a one-year absence from the market. Beginning with 2013 models built after March 2013, the door and B-pillar structure was modified to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes. (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 tested car was built after the modifications were made.
| 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 The dummy's head was hit by the window sill and then by the pillar behind the window. According to Volkswagen, both surfaces satisfy the federal standard to provide some protection for occupants' heads. |
|
View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.
View of the vehicle after the crash with the door removed, showing the side airbag and damage to the occupant compartment.
The dummy’s head was protected from being hit by any hard structures, including the intruding barrier, by a side airbag that deployed from the seat.
Smeared yellow and red greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head was hit by the window sill.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CES1305 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -15.5 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CES1305 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 382 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.1 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.6 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 45 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.8 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 41 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 35 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 4.08 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.56 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 1.1 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 2.8 |
| Combined force (kN) | 3.3 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.6 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 195 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 55 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | CES1305 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 393 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.1 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.1 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 33 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.4 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 36 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 25 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 7.36 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 1.11 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 0.1 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 1.3 |
| Combined force (kN) | 1.3 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.2 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 126 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | -69 |
Roof strength
Rating applies to 2012-19 models
Tested vehicle: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle 2-door
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Curb weight | 3,024 lbs |
| Peak force | 16,594 lbs |
| Strength-to-weight ratio | 5.49 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Manual leatherette seats
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Manual leatherette seats |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 38 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 34 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Pass |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 14.2 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 54 |
| Force rating | 1 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 51 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 265 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.