DETROIT — Most midsize luxury cars performed poorly in a new frontal crash test developed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The new test is designed to replicate what happens when a car strikes another car or a fixed object.

Of the 11 cars tested, only the Acura TL, Volvo S60, and Infiniti G earned good or acceptable ratings from the institute.

Four cars — the Acura TSX, BMW 3 Series, Lincoln MKZ, and Volkswagen CC — earned marginal ratings. Four others — the Mercedes C-Class, Lexus IS 250, Audi A4, and Lexus ES 350 — earned poor ratings. Marginal or poor ratings indicate the cars wouldn’t protect occupants very well.

All of the cars tested were from the 2012 model year.

Mercedes said it didn’t agree with its ranking and pointed out that the C-Class is listed as one of the institute’s top safety picks. Mercedes said the crash test mimics an unusually severe and uncommon scenario.

Toyota Motor Co., which owns the Lexus brand, accepted the results.