2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
midsize luxury car / 4-door sedan
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 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2005 models
Tested vehicle: 2005 Mercedes-Benz C 240 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front and rear door-mounted torso airbags
The Mercedes C class was redesigned for the 2001 model year. Modifications were made to the front seats and side airbags beginning with 2005 models to improve occupant protection in side-impact crashes. Beginning with 2006 models, the side airbags designed to protect rear passengers' torsos became optional (standard in 2005 models).
| 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 curtain airbag 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 airbags.
Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head was protected by the side curtain airbag. Also shown is the door-mounted torso airbag, standard on the tested 2005 model, but optional beginning in 2006.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CES0413 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -8.0 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CES0413 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 288 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.5 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.4 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 59 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 2.2 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 54 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 45 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 5.93 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 1.28 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 0.7 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 1.6 |
| Combined force (kN) | 2.3 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.2 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 78 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 48 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | CES0413 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 142 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.2 |
| Compression (kN) | 1.0 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 24 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.0 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 27 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 23 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 2.62 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.30 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 3.3 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 1.7 |
| Combined force (kN) | 5.0 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.6 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 59 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | -22 |
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.