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Mercedes E class

2000-02 models mfg. after Jan. 2000

FRONTAL OFFSET TEST

OVERALL EVALUATION: Good

Structure/safety cage	Injury measures				Restraints/dummy kinematics
Structure/safety cage	Head/neck	Chest	Leg/foot, left	Leg/foot, right	Restraints/dummy kinematics

Important: Frontal crash test ratings can be compared only among vehicles of similar weight.

Good Good Acceptable Marginal Poor Poor

Test details:

The Mercedes E class was redesigned for the 1996 model year.

All 1997 and later E class models manufactured after January 1997 include structural changes to improve occupant protection in frontal crashes. Additional structural changes were made beginning with 2000 E class models manufactured after January 2000 (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).

Restraints/dummy kinematics — Dummy movement was well controlled. During rebound, the dummy's head hit the roof rail.

Injury measures — Measures taken from the dummy indicate a low risk of any significant injuries in a crash of this severity. Head acceleration from the roof rail hit was low.

Left to right:

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 well.
Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.
A strong safety cage helped keep the tire out of the driver footwell area, maintaining the integrity of the occupant compartment. Crumpled structure in front of the occupant compartment indicates where the crash energy was absorbed.

Additional features:

Side airbags: front and rear head curtain airbags and front and rear door-mounted torso airbags
Automatically adjusting head restraints in front seats designed to move up or down as seats are adjusted forward or rearward
Electronic stability control
Antilock brakes

Tested vehicle specifications:

2001 Mercedes E 430 4-door
Class: Large luxury car
Weight: 3,576 lbs.
Side airbags: front and rear head curtain airbags and front and rear door-mounted torso airbags
Wheelbase: 112 in.
Length: 189 in.
Width: 71 in.
Engine: 4.3 L V8
EPA ratings: 18 mpg city | 25 mpg highway

See all test results for Mercedes E class

Last updated: September 2, 2005