2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

large luxury car / 4-door sedan

2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 4-door sedan
2003 Mercedes E class shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Head restraints & seats

Other available safety features

  • Standard daytime running lights

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2003-06 models built after December 2002

Tested vehicle: 2003 Mercedes-Benz E 500 4-door

The Mercedes E Class was redesigned for the 2003 model year. 2003 E Class models manufactured after December 2002 include structural changes to improve occupant protection in frontal offset crashes. (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.)

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has evaluated the crashworthiness of an E Class with the structural changes in a 40 mph frontal offset crash test into a deformable barrier.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Dummy movement was reasonably well controlled. During rebound, the dummy's head moved partway out the open window and hit the B-pillar and window frame.

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 window frame. Head acceleration from this hit was low.

Forces on the legs and feet were low, indicating that significant injury was unlikely.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0308
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 3
Left (cm) 7
Center (cm) 9
Right (cm) 4
Brake pedal (cm) 5
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 1
Rearward (cm) -2
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0308
Head
HIC-15 230
Peak gs at hard contact 40
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.4
Extension bending moment (Nm) 24
Maximum Nij 0.30
Chest maximum compression (mm) 35
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 2.8
Femur force - right (kN) 2.4
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.45
Maximum tibia index - right 0.71
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.7
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 3.8
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 48
Right 60

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Seats with auto-adjust head restraints

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Seats with auto-adjust head restraints
Geometry
Backset (mm) 30
Distance below top of head (mm) 5
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 11.8
Head contact time (ms) 63
Force rating 2
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 126
Max neck tension (N) 813

How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

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