2008 Mini Cooper

minicar / 2-door hatchback

2008 Mini Cooper 2-door hatchback

Crashworthiness

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

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 2007-13 models

Tested vehicle: 2007 Mini Cooper 2-door

The Mini Cooper was redesigned for the 2007 model year. Frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by BMW (manufacturer of the Mini) 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 VTF0710
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 5
Left (cm) 9
Center (cm) 9
Right (cm) 10
Brake pedal (cm) 6
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 3
Right (cm) 2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -1
Rearward (cm) 1
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF0710
Head
HIC-15 226
Peak gs at hard contact 76
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.9
Extension bending moment (Nm) 17
Maximum Nij 0.36
Chest maximum compression (mm) 28
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.5
Femur force - right (kN) 1.7
Knee displacement - left (mm) 1
Knee displacement - right (mm) 1
Maximum tibia index - left 0.48
Maximum tibia index - right 0.51
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.3
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.6
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 47
Right 64

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2008-13 models built after July 2008

Tested vehicle: 2008 Mini Cooper 2-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Mini Cooper was redesigned for the 2007 model year. Beginning with 2008 models manufactured after July 2008, changes were made to the side torso airbags to improve occupant protection in side impact 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).

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 door 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 CES0839
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -12.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0839
Head HIC-15 193
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.3
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 46
Lateral force (kN) 1.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 36
Average deflection (mm) 33
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 6.95
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.65
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 2.7
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.8
Combined force (kN) 5.3
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.4
L-M moment (Nm) 101
A-P moment (Nm) 28

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0839
Head HIC-15 256
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.1
Compression (kN) 0.1
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 62
Lateral force (kN) 2.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 47
Average deflection (mm) 29
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 6.08
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 1.08
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.5
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.2
Combined force (kN) 4.6
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.4
L-M moment (Nm) 63
A-P moment (Nm) 29

How the side crash test is conducted

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2007-13 models

Tested vehicle: 2009 Mini Cooper 2-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight 2,564 lbs
Peak force 8,810 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio 3.44

How the roof strength test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Standard seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Standard seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 34
Distance below top of head (mm) -6
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Fail
Max T1 acceleration (g) 12.7
Head contact time (ms) 87
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 56
Max neck tension (N) 644

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