Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2001-07 models
Tested vehicle: 2001 Mercedes-Benz C 320 4-door
The Mercedes C class was redesigned for the 2001 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 hit the B-pillar and head restraint during rebound. Head accelerations from these hits were low.
There was little change in the position of the dummy's feet following the crash test. Footwell intrusion was minimal, and injury risk was low.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CF00033 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 2 |
| Left (cm) | 2 |
| Center (cm) | 3 |
| Right (cm) | 2 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 2 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | -1 |
| Right (cm) | 0 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 2 |
| Rearward (cm) | 0 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 0 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CF00033 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 251 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | 44 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 2.0 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 32 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.32 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 33 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 4.2 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 4.3 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 7 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 1 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.46 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.42 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 2.1 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 3.4 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 54 |
| Right | 57 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Seats with auto-adjust head restraints
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Seats with auto-adjust head restraints |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 45 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | -15 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Fail |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 12.1 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 74 |
| Force rating | 2 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 193 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 836 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.