BMW X5 ACHIEVES BEST PERFORMANCE OF ANY SUV IN CRASH TEST
The BMW X5 performed better than any SUV ever tested by the Insurance Institute
for Highway Safety. Based on its results in the 40 mph offset crash test, the
X5 has been rated a "Best Pick" by the Institute - the third BMW to receive
this distinction. Not only is the X5 the best SUV ever tested, it is, in fact,
the best vehicle yet tested.
In the test, the X5 was crashed into a deformable barrier with only the left
side of the vehicle striking the barrier. This type of crash introduces
significant twisting forces to the already severe impact. "The performance of
the BMW X5 in our high-speed offset test was outstanding," noted Brian O'Neill,
president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, "the occupant
compartment, or safety cage, sustained very little damage. Measured intrusion
into the compartment was less than in any other vehicle the Institute has
tested. With exemplary performance in earlier tests of the 5 and 3 Series, and
now the X5, BMW has set the standard for all other manufacturers to aspire to."
"As the first manufacturer to offer a head protection system in a light- truck,
as we were with passenger cars, we're very pleased by the performance of the X5
in the IIHS test," said Tom Purves, Chairman of BMW (US) Holding Corp., "HPS
is, however, just one element of BMW's Fully Integrated Road Safety Technology
philosophy."
Putting safety 'F.I.R.S.T.', the X5 Sports Activity Vehicle is designed to the
same high standard of crashworthiness as BMW passenger cars. In addition to
HPS, all X5s benefit from two-stage, differentiated deployment SMART front
airbags and front side-impact airbags. These are all made more effective by the
extraordinarily rigid unitized chassis of the X5, backed up by carefully
designed deformation zones which absorb and deflect impact energy.
Equally important is the ability to avoid an impact altogether. Its combination
of responsiveness and agility, coupled with state-of-the-art electronic
safeguards such as Hill Descent Control and Dynamic Stability Control (BMW's
electronic stability enhancement system), make the X5 a very stable and
predictable vehicle.
BMW is widely recognized as a safety leader. As the first manufacturer to offer
a head protection system, BMW was given the "Safe Car of the Millennium" award
by the International Brain Injury Association.
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