The passenger compartment remained stable in the frontal impact. Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs of the driver and passenger dummies.
Inspection of the vehicle showed that some structures in the dashboard presented a hazard to the knees and femurs of occupants of different sizes and to those sat in different positions.
Dummy readings of chest compression indicated marginal protection of the driver’s chest.
In the side barrier test, dummy readings indicated good protection of the head. However, the side curtain airbag did not deploy as intended, getting caught on the upper seat belt anchorage point, and the car was penalised. The same thing happened with the curtain airbag in the side pole test. Mercedes have indicated that they will improve the performance of the curtain airbag.
Dummy readings of rib compression in the pole test indicated weak protection of the chest area. Moreover, after the test, there was a noticeable gap between the B-pillar and the front edge of the sliding door. The car was penalised as such a gap might jeopardise the protection of occupants’ limbs.
The front seats and head restraints provided marginal protection against whiplash injury in the event of a rear-end collision.
Based on dummy readings in the dynamic tests, the Citan scored maximum points for its protection of both the 3 year and the 1½ year dummy. In the frontal test, forward movement of the 3 year old dummy, sat in a forward facing restraint, was not excessive and, in the side impact, both dummies were properly contained within the protective shells of their restraints, minimising the likelihood of head contact with parts of the car interior.
The bumper was predominantly good but the front edge of the bonnet provided poor protection in most of the areas tested. Adequate protection was provided by the bonnet over much of its surface but protection in those areas where an adult’s head might strike was mostly poor.
Source: Mercedes
