2010 Mercedes-Benz M-Class

midsize luxury SUV / 4-door SUV

2010 Mercedes-Benz M-Class 4-door SUV
2006 Mercedes M class shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: 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 2006-11 models

Tested vehicle: 2006 Mercedes-Benz ML 500 4-door 4wd

The Mercedes-Benz M-Class was redesigned for the 2006 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Mercedes-Benz as part of frontal crash test verification.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTF0604
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 1
Left (cm) 1
Center (cm) 2
Right (cm) 2
Brake pedal (cm) 3
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) -2
Right (cm) -2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -3
Rearward (cm) -8
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF0604
Head
HIC-15 205
Peak gs at hard contact 20
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.7
Extension bending moment (Nm) 10
Maximum Nij 0.21
Chest maximum compression (mm) 33
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.1
Femur force - right (kN) 3.1
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 1
Maximum tibia index - left 0.71
Maximum tibia index - right 0.59
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 3.1
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.7
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 135
Right 104

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2007-11 models

Tested vehicle: 2006 Mercedes-Benz ML 350 4-door 4wd with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front and optional rear seat-mounted torso airbags

The Mercedes-Benz M-Class was redesigned for the 2006 model year. Beginning with 2007 models, side torso airbags were made standard for second row seat occupants (they were optional in 2006 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 airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows where 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 airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0625
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -15.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0625
Head HIC-15 75
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Compression (kN) 0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 48
Lateral force (kN) 1.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 39
Average deflection (mm) 38
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.76
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.64
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.8
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.1
Combined force (kN) 1.9
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.6
L-M moment (Nm) 165
A-P moment (Nm) 30

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0625
Head HIC-15 28
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.2
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 9
Lateral force (kN) 0.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 17
Average deflection (mm) 13
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 1.27
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.08
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.0
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.5
Combined force (kN) 1.5
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.3
L-M moment (Nm) 93
A-P moment (Nm) -14

How the side crash test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Seats without auto-adjust head restraints AHR

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Seats without auto-adjust head restraints AHR
Geometry
Backset (mm) 46
Distance below top of head (mm) 28
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 13.7
Head contact time (ms) 60
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 114
Max neck tension (N) 466

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

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