2009 BMW X3

midsize luxury SUV / 4-door SUV

2009 BMW X3 4-door SUV
2008 BMW X3 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 2004-10 models

Tested vehicle: 2008 BMW X3 3.0si 4-door 4wd

The BMW X3 was introduced in the 2004 model year.

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 very well.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head brushed across the side curtain airbag during rebound.

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 CEF0722
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 8
Left (cm) 6
Center (cm) 5
Right (cm) 5
Brake pedal (cm) 3
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 1
Right (cm) 2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 7
Rearward (cm) -1
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0722
Head
HIC-15 539
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm) 18
Maximum Nij 0.31
Chest maximum compression (mm) 42
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.7
Femur force - right (kN) 1.4
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.45
Maximum tibia index - right 0.32
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.0
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 1.9
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 63
Right 51

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2008-10 models

Tested vehicle: 2008 BMW X3 3.0si 4-door 4wd with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front door-mounted torso airbags

The BMW X3 was introduced in the 2004 model year. Beginning with 2008 models, changes were made to the front torso airbags and the front and rear door trim panels to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes.

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 curtain airbag 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 CES0739
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -11.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0739
Head HIC-15 148
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.2
Compression (kN) 0.0
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 36
Lateral force (kN) 1.3
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 41
Average deflection (mm) 34
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.63
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.75
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 2.9
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.8
Combined force (kN) 4.6
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.3
L-M moment (Nm) 157
A-P moment (Nm) 26

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0739
Head HIC-15 103
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.1
Compression (kN) 0.8
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 27
Lateral force (kN) 1.4
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 22
Average deflection (mm) 18
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.75
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.24
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.0
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.4
Combined force (kN) 3.2
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.4
L-M moment (Nm) 46
A-P moment (Nm) -21

How the side crash test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Standard seats AHR

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Standard seats AHR
Geometry
Backset (mm) 37
Distance below top of head (mm) 44
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 13.0
Head contact time (ms) 60
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 1
Max neck tension (N) 482

Seat type: Comfort seats AHR

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Comfort seats AHR
Geometry
Backset (mm) 4
Distance below top of head (mm) 18
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 10.0
Head contact time (ms) 36
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 64
Max neck tension (N) 453

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

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