2015 BMW 3 series
midsize luxury car / 4-door sedan
Small overlap front: driver-side
Rating applies to 2012-15 models
Tested vehicle: 2012 BMW 328i 4-door
The BMW 3 series sedan was redesigned for the 2012 model year.
| 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 loaded the frontal airbag which stayed in front of the dummy until rebound. However, the steering column moved upward 16 cm, resulting in little airbag cushioning for the chest. Additionally, the seat belt allowed excessive forward excursion of the dummy’s head and torso. The side curtain airbag deployed but does not have sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact 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 wasn't maintained well.
During the crash, the seat belt allowed the dummy to move too far forward, as is evident from the gap between the seat back and the dummy's torso.
Intrusion into the occupant compartment was extensive as the left front wheel was forced rearward and inward into the driver's footwell during the crash. Left lower leg injury risk was high.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CEN1204 |
|---|---|
| Lower occupant compartment | |
| Lower hinge pillar max (cm) | 10 |
| Footrest (cm) | 40 |
| Left toepan (cm) | 34 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 24 |
| Parking brake (cm) | 0 |
| Rocker panel lateral average (cm) | 1 |
| Upper occupant compartment | |
| Steering column | 1 |
| Upper hinge pillar max (cm) | 6 |
| Upper dash (cm) | 16 |
| Lower instrument panel (cm) | 15 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CEN1204 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 238 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.3 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 25 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.30 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 21 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 2.0 |
| Right | 2.3 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 6 |
| Right | 3 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 2.07 |
| Right | 0.46 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 4.0 |
| Right | 5.0 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 128 |
| Right | 70 |
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2012-18 models
Tested vehicle: 2012 BMW 328i 4-door
The BMW 3 series sedan was redesigned for the 2012 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by BMW.
| 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 | VTF1118 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 4 |
| Left (cm) | 4 |
| Center (cm) | 3 |
| Right (cm) | 1 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 2 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 0 |
| Right (cm) | 0 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 0 |
| Rearward (cm) | -5 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 0 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTF1118 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 132 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | 15 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.1 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 8 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.20 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 26 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 1.4 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 1.7 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 1 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 2 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.38 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.30 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 3.2 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 3.3 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 60 |
| Right | 61 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2012-18 models
Tested vehicle: 2012 BMW 335i 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags
The BMW 3 series sedan was redesigned for the 2012 model year. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by BMW.
| 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 | |
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTS1120 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -16.5 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTS1120 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 323 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.2 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.2 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 41 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.8 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 40 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 36 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 3.37 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.72 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 2.8 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 1.7 |
| Combined force (kN) | 4.5 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.3 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 157 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 64 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | VTS1120 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 125 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.4 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.2 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 14 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 0.8 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 21 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 17 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 1.69 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.18 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 1.2 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 0.6 |
| Combined force (kN) | 1.8 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.5 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 128 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 44 |
Roof strength
Rating applies to 2012-18 models
Tested vehicle: 2012 BMW 335i 4-door
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Curb weight | 3,516 lbs |
| Peak force | 17,527 lbs |
| Strength-to-weight ratio | 4.98 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Power leather seats
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Power leather seats |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 44 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 23 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Pass |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 11.9 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 68 |
| Force rating | 1 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 51 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 631 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Ratings are given for 2 different trim variations available on this vehicle.
Child seat anchors
Rating applies to 2015-18 models
| Overall evaluation | |
| Vehicle trim | 328xi |
| Seat type | leather |
This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.
It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.
| Overall evaluation | |
| Vehicle trim | 328xi |
| Seat type | leather |
| G | Good |
| A | Acceptable |
| M | Marginal |
| P | Poor |
| Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated. | |
thether anchor symbol | Tether anchor |
lower anchor symbol | Lower anchors |
| Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s) | |
| No hardware available |
Details by seating position
| 1 | |
|---|---|
| Tether anchor | |
| easy-to-find location | |
| no other hardware could be confused for anchor | |
| Lower anchors | |
| too deep in seat | |
| not too much force needed to attach | |
| difficult to maneuver around anchors | |
| 2 | |
| Tether anchor | |
| easy-to-find location | |
| no other hardware could be confused for anchor | |
| Lower anchors | |
| none available | |
| 3 | |
| Tether anchor | |
| easy-to-find location | |
| no other hardware could be confused for anchor | |
| Lower anchors | |
| too deep in seat | |
| not too much force needed to attach | |
| difficult to maneuver around anchors |
Seat position 21
| Lower anchor A | |
|---|---|
| Open access rated | No |
| Depth (cm) | 4-6 |
| Force (lbs) | 15 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 0 |
| Lower anchor B | |
| Open access rated | No |
| Depth (cm) | 4-6 |
| Force (lbs) | 13 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 0 |
| Tether anchor | |
| Location | Rear deck |
| Confusing hardware present | No |
| Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor |
No |
| Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH |
Not measured |
Seat position 22
| Lower anchor A | |
|---|---|
| No lower latch for this seat position | |
| Lower anchor B | |
| No lower latch for this seat position | |
| Tether anchor | |
| Location | Rear deck |
| Confusing hardware present | No |
| Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor |
No |
| Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH |
Not measured |
Seat position 23
| Lower anchor A | |
|---|---|
| Open access rated | No |
| Depth (cm) | 4-6 |
| Force (lbs) | 18 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 0 |
| Lower anchor B | |
| Open access rated | No |
| Depth (cm) | 4-6 |
| Force (lbs) | 17 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 0 |
| Tether anchor | |
| Location | Rear deck |
| Confusing hardware present | No |
| Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor |
No |
| Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH |
Not measured |