BMW 5 SERIES EARNS NCAP'S 5-STAR SAFETY RATING
The new BMW 5 Series Sedan is consolidating its position as a global standard for aesthetics, driving pleasure, and safety. Following the highest number of points plus special merit from the Euro NCAP, this four-door model is now the first vehicle to be awarded straight away the top grade in the new US NCAP crash test.
It also got an additional honour in the form of the Top Safety Pick award from the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The new BMW 5 Series is currently the winner of the most awards for vehicle safety, and one of the most preferred mid segment premium luxury car in Nigeria where the German brand is marketed exclusively by Coscharis Motors.
The BMW 5 Series Sedan is the first vehicle that was awarded straight away the highest number of points, five stars, in the new and considerably more stringent test procedure of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The same number of points had already been awarded previously to this four door model in the Euro NCAP crash test.
Moreover, the BMW 5 Series Sedan ranks among the first winners in Europe that Euro NCAP experts have honoured in addition with a special award, in recognition of its Assist Advanced eCall, an advanced emergency call system with automatic localisation and accident severity detection. In the USA too, the new BMW 5 Series received yet another honour for outstanding passenger protection: the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) voted it the Top Safety Pick on the strength of its top grades in all test categories.
This double award of 5 stars and the additional honours all reflect the outstandingly high safety level of the new BMW 5 Series Sedan that will be meeting the complex requirements on the international autombile markets. As a global provider of premium cars, BMW develops for all of its models fully integrated safety concepts that are not optimised solely for specific test procedures, but whose safety scope and quality provide the basis for excellent results in all relevant crash tests throughout the world. This ensures the maximum of protection not only for the dummy in the laboratory, but also for the vehicle's occupants in actual traffic conditions when a critical situation arises or a collision is unavoidable.
Following extensive revisions this year, the US NCAP crash test was performed on a total of 33 current models from American, German, and Asian manufacturers. The tests included e.g. a head-on collision with a solid obstacle, two side collisions, and a rollover scenario. The crash test properties are assessed in particular with respect to occupant cell stability, safety equipment scope and effectiveness, and risk of injury to occupants as determined by the sensors fitted on the dummies.
New to the program is a so-called pole side impact, and in addition there was a significant increase in the stringency of thresholds relevant to top score achievability. As one of the consequences, vehicles that had been awarded top marks earlier under the previous test conditions were being downgraded by the NHTSA in some cases to as low as three stars. Whereas in earlier years, up to 90 percent of all tested vehicles were being awarded five stars, this year saw only two of thirty three models.
Solely the new BMW 5 Series Sedan passed the demanding test program straight away with an overall grade of five stars. Another vehicle was likewise honoured with top grades following a second test run with subsequently optimised safety measures, but all other models achieved only two to four stars in the overall assessment.
The IIHS panel classified both the crash test properties and the safety equipment of the Sedan as exemplary. For instance, the crash active headrests fitted as standard prove to be a particularly effective measure for reducing the risk of whiplash injuries in the event of a rear collision. On this point the IIHS confirmed the positive judgement that the seats of the new BMW 5 Series Sedan had already received previously in the Euro NCAP crash test.