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      08-14-2012, 12:24 AM   #1
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F30 3 series performs 'marginally' in new IIHS crash safety tests

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A new crash test that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says is far more realistic than its outgoing frontal offset test has proven challenging for the nearly one dozen entry-level luxury sedans the agency tested.

Only the Volvo S60 and the Acura TL earned top marks in the small overlap test, which sees 25 percent of the tested vehicle’s front end striking a 5-foot tall rigid barrier at 40 mph. IIHS says that the test is designed to simulate “what happens when the front corner of a car collides with another vehicle or an object like a tree or utility pole” rather than against a deformable offset object as current tests do.

According to the institute’s research, the new crash test simulates about a quarter of all real-world accidents. IIHS won’t be abandoning the current crash test style, but it will use the new small overlap test as an additional measurement of vehicle safety and structural crashworthiness.

The Infiniti G received an acceptable rating, while the Acura TSX, BMW 3-Series, Lincoln MKZ and Volkswagen CC all earned a marginal grade. The Audi A4, Lexus ES, Lexus IS and Mercedes-Benz C-Class ranked at the bottom of the segment with the agency’s lowest rating: Poor. All 11 tested vehicles are 2012 models, although only the Lexus ES and Lincoln MKZ see significant changes for 2013.

IIHS has told Leftlane in the past that it considers marginal and poor to be essentially failing grades, and it is even critical of vehicles that achieve acceptable scores. The new test scores will be factored into its Top Safety Pick award, which requires vehicles to receive Good scores in every single test. Only the S60 and TL, among the 11 entry-luxury cars tested, will qualify for 2013. - http://www.leftlanenews.com/iihs-new...rm-poorly.html
On a positive note, the F30 fared better than both the Audi A4 & Merc C class which scored "poor".
The volvo s60 scored "good"... guess they are still built "like a brick".


Explanation of the new crash test standards




F30 crash test results





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      08-14-2012, 12:57 AM   #2
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Holy shit!
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      08-14-2012, 01:55 AM   #3
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Eh, that was kind of a weird test. You have to think that with all that energy focused on just that one side, it did pretty good. I would think most car makers are worried about rear end, T bones, and full head on collisions.
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      08-14-2012, 01:57 AM   #4
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The 3 series is still a top safety pick for 2012 by IIHS (for now), however, they just added another test to the mix: small overlap front test, which tests the vehicle when the front end hits a smaller object (like a telephone poll) off center. While every other test result was good (including moderate overlap front test), the 3 series received a marginal rating for the small overlap test. (ratings are judged good, acceptable, marginal or poor).
Test results suggested a risk of injury to lower left leg, ankle and heel likely in this type of crash, and possible to lower right leg, ankle and heel as well. They claim risk of significant injuries to other body regions is low.

The only mid size luxury vehicles with a good rating on the small overlap test were the Volvo s60 (of course!) p and acura TL.

The TSX, BMW 3 series, Lincoln MKZ and VW CC all rated marginal on the small overlap test.

The A4, Lexus es 350 and IS 250/350 and C class rated poor- the lowest possible test result. .

IIHS gives highest weight in determining overall rating to moderate overlap test, followed by side, rollover and then rear.
The small overlap front test is not currently included in top safety pick criteria and carries the least weight, if any, in the too picks for 2012. E

It isn't clear if the overall satey picks will be modified in light of the new testing. Kind of a bummer to think you are getting a car that rivals a Volvo for safety only to find that it's performance on an important safety criteria is considerably poorer. But also happy to know that the safety engineers are always working hard to
Refine and revise their methodology.

From this day forth, I shall strenuously avoid any telephone polls that jump out in front of my car.
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      08-14-2012, 02:37 AM   #5
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Exclamation

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Originally Posted by rjc32000 View Post




From this day forth, I shall strenuously avoid any telephone polls that jump out in front of my car.
If indeed you you get the choice.
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      08-14-2012, 06:07 AM   #6
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The S60 did well cos the wheel broke away & at the same time the car was deflected away from the wall. The main gripe for the F30 is footwell intrusion in this case & that's cos the wheel didn't breakaway & remain firmly wedged in front of the footwell.
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      08-14-2012, 06:43 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghines1279
Eh, that was kind of a weird test. You have to think that with all that energy focused on just that one side, it did pretty good. I would think most car makers are worried about rear end, T bones, and full head on collisions.
No. They used to focus on those things. But, then they found that a nice even collision is not anywhere near as catastrophic as one that is offset.

This is a huge blow to BMW. BMW focused on finding a way to give nearly all of the electronic gizmos available on the 7 and the 5 to the
3. Worse, BMW shaved away structural weight in the name of Eco pro and other nonsense.

Now, while it is true your little 4 banger beats the old model's 6, and it's true that the new model goes from 0 to 60 a tad faster, it is equally true that there was a hidden compromise and that was the safety of the BMW occupants.

All you 3 series owners that bought this car before the offset tests were actually performed have been duped! You probably never even asked about safety because BMW goes to great lengths to tout the 3 series as one of the safest cars on earth. But it is not and objective tests prove it is not even close to the safest car in its class.

Look at the intrusion in these tests. It is horrible!!! If I were owner of a 3 series I would be pissed! The fact that this is a new test does not impress me. It only goes to show that BMW makes cars to pass particular set of tests. BMW should worry about the real world.

Driving while texting just got a lot more lethal thanks to BMW.
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      08-14-2012, 07:09 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWrules7 View Post
It only goes to show that BMW makes cars to pass particular set of tests. BMW should worry about the real world.
Yeah, this is what disappoints me the most. I always thought you paid a premium for Euro marks because they were better engineered and safer cars.
It is disappointing to see that once one new aspect of testing was introduced that so many cars with a reputation for safety performed so poorly.

It does seem to suggest that car-makers' primary goal is to make their cars pass tests (safety & fuel consumption) and that performance in the real-world is of secondary importance. What a shame
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      08-14-2012, 07:13 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWrules7 View Post
No. They used to focus on those things. But, then they found that a nice even collision is not anywhere near as catastrophic as one that is offset.

This is a huge blow to BMW. BMW focused on finding a way to give nearly all of the electronic gizmos available on the 7 and the 5 to the
3. Worse, BMW shaved away structural weight in the name of Eco pro and other nonsense.

Now, while it is true your little 4 banger beats the old model's 6, and it's true that the new model goes from 0 to 60 a tad faster, it is equally true that there was a hidden compromise and that was the safety of the BMW occupants.

All you 3 series owners that bought this car before the offset tests were actually performed have been duped! You probably never even asked about safety because BMW goes to great lengths to tout the 3 series as one of the safest cars on earth. But it is not and objective tests prove it is not even close to the safest car in its class.

Look at the intrusion in these tests. It is horrible!!! If I were owner of a 3 series I would be pissed! The fact that this is a new test does not impress me. It only goes to show that BMW makes cars to pass particular set of tests. BMW should worry about the real world.

Driving while texting just got a lot more lethal thanks to BMW.
As a current F30 owner, I have to disagree. I do not feel duped and in fact, feel quite safe in my 328i. True, on this new test, the F30 did not perform that well, but the other cars that I would considering buying, the Audi and the Merc did even worse. If you watch the crash, the upper parts of the body are well protected and there is little movement. Frankly, if I can leave a crash as severe as this one with broken legs/ankles and no chest or head trauma, I would feel pretty lucky.

I highly doubt that older models would perform better than the F30 in this test. The weight difference between the E90 and F30 has little to do with why the F30 did poorly in this test. Crash tests are all about crumple zones, not weight. Obviously, the F30's crumple zone in this test is poorly designed for the footwell. I am sure that in future models, BMW will keep this test in mind as they design their cars.
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      08-14-2012, 09:29 AM   #10
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I'm serious considering going back to Honda and get a manual Accord, assuming it's similar to Accura. Just waiting for more testing coming out.
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      08-14-2012, 09:55 AM   #11
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The automakers are not happy about this test but the reality is, it represents the type of crashes on the rise in the US.
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      08-14-2012, 10:03 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rjc32000 View Post
From this day forth, I shall strenuously avoid any telephone polls that jump out in front of my car.
Or just hit it front and center.
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      08-14-2012, 10:04 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whoever View Post
I'm serious considering going back to Honda and get a manual Accord, assuming it's similar to Accura. Just waiting for more testing coming out.
Completely different.
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      08-14-2012, 10:07 AM   #14
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      08-14-2012, 10:08 AM   #15
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At least the 3 preformed betther than the Audi A4, and Mercedes C class. The A4, and C both received a 'Poor' rating.
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      08-14-2012, 10:13 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWrules7 View Post
No. They used to focus on those things. But, then they found that a nice even collision is not anywhere near as catastrophic as one that is offset.

This is a huge blow to BMW. BMW focused on finding a way to give nearly all of the electronic gizmos available on the 7 and the 5 to the
3. Worse, BMW shaved away structural weight in the name of Eco pro and other nonsense.

Now, while it is true your little 4 banger beats the old model's 6, and it's true that the new model goes from 0 to 60 a tad faster, it is equally true that there was a hidden compromise and that was the safety of the BMW occupants.

All you 3 series owners that bought this car before the offset tests were actually performed have been duped! You probably never even asked about safety because BMW goes to great lengths to tout the 3 series as one of the safest cars on earth. But it is not and objective tests prove it is not even close to the safest car in its class.

Look at the intrusion in these tests. It is horrible!!! If I were owner of a 3 series I would be pissed! The fact that this is a new test does not impress me. It only goes to show that BMW makes cars to pass particular set of tests. BMW should worry about the real world.

Driving while texting just got a lot more lethal thanks to BMW.
Stop talking shit. If BMW is doing such a horrible job, what about Lexus, Audi or MB?
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      08-14-2012, 10:13 AM   #17
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Not really applicable in this test, but a heavier car will do better in a vehicle-to-vehicle collision. For all the complaints of the E9x being "too heavy", it's probably a tradeoff that I'd be willing to accept for a car of this size (and is smaller than the F30).
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      08-14-2012, 10:13 AM   #18
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This is a great test as I often read in newspapers that someone died in car crash by hitting a pole or tree.

Disappointed about the results as I expected BMW to be better than Acura. Also, A4 and MB C class are one generation behind BMW.
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      08-14-2012, 10:20 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gator15 View Post
As a current F30 owner, I have to disagree. I do not feel duped and in fact, feel quite safe in my 328i. True, on this new test, the F30 did not perform that well, but the other cars that I would considering buying, the Audi and the Merc did even worse. If you watch the crash, the upper parts of the body are well protected and there is little movement. Frankly, if I can leave a crash as severe as this one with broken legs/ankles and no chest or head trauma, I would feel pretty lucky.

I highly doubt that older models would perform better than the F30 in this test. The weight difference between the E90 and F30 has little to do with why the F30 did poorly in this test. Crash tests are all about crumple zones, not weight. Obviously, the F30's crumple zone in this test is poorly designed for the footwell. I am sure that in future models, BMW will keep this test in mind as they design their cars.
meh, coming from an owner of 4 e90s, and having witnessed a few 200kmph crashes with these cars i can safely say that they never had so much intrusion..... lol this is unacceptable I definitely would not want to be in that car, considering how the interior folds onto the passengers... E90 ftmfw. ohhh and i hope u know im just busting your balls...

I would LOVE to see the e90 on this new test just so we can get and idea of how the cars really stack up.... cant compare the two crash test ratings now because all of the variables have different meaning... but the F30 looks more flimsy, seems more cheaply put together. I had just bought a new 335xi a few months ago, i could have gotten an F30 or an E90.... both of them were in alpine white so it was a good comparison.... the E90 just looks and feels like a more solid vehicle, I am convinced.

E90 for life, long live the legacy, bring bangle back!
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      08-14-2012, 10:22 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rjc32000 View Post
From this day forth, I shall strenuously avoid any telephone polls that jump out in front of my car.

Just let them go to Voicemail.
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      08-14-2012, 10:26 AM   #21
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Anyone watch the TL test and see what happened? The wheel was ripped off which then ripped off the door sending the car the other direction. A safer situation in this instance, but how often is that going to happen in a real world crash?

edit: Same thing on the Volvo. Basically what needs to happen is for the wheel to come off instead of getting shoved into the firewall.

Last edited by CoffeeBean; 08-14-2012 at 10:36 AM..
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      08-14-2012, 10:27 AM   #22
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The true disappointing thing is that although these tests are standard, they aren't real accurate representations of real-life crashes.

People don't just barrel into something at 40mph. They hit the brake. That totally changes the forces, angles and dynamics of how the occupants are positioned and moving.


If they want to hit the barrier at 40mph that's fine, but start at 60 and hit the brakes so that it's going 40 when it hits the barrier, then you can see that the occupant may already be leaning slightly forward and see if the dip in the front end plays a significant role in the forces on the vehicle.
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