2011 BMW 3 series
midsize luxury car / 4-door sedan
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2006-11 models
Tested vehicle: 2006 BMW 325i 4-door
The BMW 3 series was redesigned for the 2006 model year.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Leg/foot, left | |
| Leg/foot, right | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics |
Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.
The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.
Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head contacted the side curtain airbag during rebound.
Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CEF0524 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 1 |
| Left (cm) | 1 |
| Center (cm) | 1 |
| Right (cm) | 1 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 2 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 0 |
| Right (cm) | 0 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | -1 |
| Rearward (cm) | -3 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 0 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CEF0524 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 136 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.6 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 8 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.21 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 22 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 0.3 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 0.2 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 0 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.21 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.25 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 1.9 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 1.4 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 53 |
| Right | 41 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2006-11 models built after November 2005
Tested vehicle: 2006 BMW 325i 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags
The BMW 3 series was redesigned for the 2006 model year. Beginning with 2006 models manufactured after November 2005, changes were made to the side airbags and door trim panels to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes (note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door). The tested car was manufactured after the modifications had been 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 | |
View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.
View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.
Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag.
Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CES0603 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -10.0 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CES0603 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 214 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.9 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.4 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 33 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.6 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 47 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 38 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 4.11 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.78 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 2.1 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 3.5 |
| Combined force (kN) | 5.3 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 1.2 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 186 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 23 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | CES0603 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 61 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.6 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.2 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 9 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 0.6 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 35 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 24 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 2.98 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.42 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 0.7 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 1.8 |
| Combined force (kN) | 2.4 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.9 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 90 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | -16 |
Roof strength
Rating applies to 2006-11 models
Tested vehicle: 2011 BMW 328i 4-door
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Curb weight | 3,398 lbs |
| Peak force | 13,302 lbs |
| Strength-to-weight ratio | 3.91 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Power leather seats AHR
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Power leather seats AHR |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 38 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 54 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Pass |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 15.6 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 51 |
| Force rating | 1 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 0 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 472 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.