2008 Audi A4

midsize luxury car / 4-door sedan

2008 Audi A4 4-door sedan
2007 Audi A4 shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
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 2002-08 models built after February 2002

Tested vehicle: 2002 Audi A4 1.8T quattro 4-door 4wd

The Audi A4 was redesigned for the 2002 model year. Audi A4s manufactured after February 2002 include structural changes to improve occupant protection in frontal 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 a 2002 A4 with the structural changes in a 40 mph frontal offset crash test into a deformable barrier.

The frontal offset crash test ratings also apply to the station wagon version of the A4, known as the A4 Avant, beginning with 2002 models manufactured after February 2002.

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

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.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head hit the roof rail during rebound. Head acceleration from this hit was low.

Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0216
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 4
Left (cm) 6
Center (cm) 5
Right (cm) 3
Brake pedal (cm) 10
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 2
Right (cm) 3
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 4
Rearward (cm) 1
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0216
Head
HIC-15 145
Peak gs at hard contact 38
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm) 26
Maximum Nij 0.43
Chest maximum compression (mm) 29
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 3.3
Femur force - right (kN) 3.6
Knee displacement - left (mm) 10
Knee displacement - right (mm) 1
Maximum tibia index - left 0.71
Maximum tibia index - right 0.75
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.8
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 58
Right 64

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2005-08 models built after October 2004

Tested vehicle: 2005 Audi A4 2.0T quattro 4-door 4wd with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Audi A4 was redesigned for the 2002 model year. The car was reengineered and restyled during the 2005 model year so that 2005 models manufactured after October 2004 include structural changes to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes. Occupant protection in frontal crashes was not affected for 2002 and later A4 models manufactured after February 2002. (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 reengineered A4 can also be identified by a much larger grille compared with the earlier version.)

The side impact crash test ratings also apply to the station wagon version of the A4, known as the A4 Avant, beginning with 2005 models manufactured after October 2004.

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.

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag.

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 CES0507
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -11.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0507
Head HIC-15 237
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.8
Compression (kN) 0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 48
Lateral force (kN) 1.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 29
Average deflection (mm) 25
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.91
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.33
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.4
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.7
Combined force (kN) 2.9
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.2
L-M moment (Nm) 54
A-P moment (Nm) 22

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0507
Head HIC-15 190
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.3
Compression (kN) 0.5
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 48
Lateral force (kN) 2.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 37
Average deflection (mm) 32
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.57
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.72
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.6
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.0
Combined force (kN) 3.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.6
L-M moment (Nm) 70
A-P moment (Nm) -20

How the side crash test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power leather seats built after July 2006

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Power leather seats mfg after July 2006
Geometry
Backset (mm) 40
Distance below top of head (mm) 38
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 12.3
Head contact time (ms) 64
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 15
Max neck tension (N) 639

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

End of main content