The X5 - Setting a New Standard of Passive Safety

Establishing an all-new market segment, the new BMW X5 offers not only
sophisticated technology and superior motoring comfort, but also a standard of
safety hardly ever seen before: BMW's Sports Activity Vehicle has passed all
relevant crash tests with maximum points in nearly all cases.

Taking the European tests and the Japanese NCAP standard tests, the BMW X5
scored top marks throughout. It also achieved the best possible results in the
US NCAP test. Using the abbreviation NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme), the
authorities in the EU, the USA and Japan have defined new crash test standards
even more demanding than in the past due to the higher impact speeds applied in
these test procedures.

Mission accomplished: Safety bodyshell plus seat belts and airbags
Unlike conventional off-road vehicles, the BMW X5 does without the usual frame
and is based instead on a unitary body structure of the same type applied in
modern passenger car design. Among other things, this means substantial
advantages in terms of passive safety, since any conventional frame structure
would obstruct the defined uptake of energy in a collision. The all-new body
specifically tailored to the X5, on the other hand, is in a position to absorb
a lot more crash energy before restraint systems such as the seat belt and
airbag cut in, thus providing a safety standard comparable to that of a BMW
sedan. Installation of up to 10 airbags also reflects the same standard offered
by BMW's large sedans, with frontal, side and head airbags at the front plus
side and head airbags at the rear.

Frontal collision: Japan and US-NCAP confirm superior safety
In a frontal collision against a solid barrier at 35 mph or 56 km/h, the BMW X5
achieves maximum points in the US-NCAP tests on the driver's side and four out
of five possible points on the front passenger's side. In the Japanese NCAP
test, in turn, protection on both sides is rated AAA, again the best score
possible.

The substantial longitudinal forces encountered in a frontal collision are
absorbed in the BMW X5 at several force transfer points leading into the
floorpan. The front longitudinal arms extend all the way back beneath the
floorpan, leading straight to the rear longitudinal arms. At the front the
floorpan merges smoothly and homogeneously into the bulkhead acting with its
support structure as an essential link between the front section, the floorpan
and the side-frames.

Predetermined load transfer paths convey forces into the floorpan, the
longitudinal arms at the side, the side-frames and transmission tunnel.
Extra-large reinforcements leading from the engine mounts to the A-pillars
protect the footwells from excessive intrusion. Within the engine compartment,
a bulkhead crossbar connecting the two engine mounts with one another ensures
an optimum flow of forces into the transmission tunnel.

Offset crash: Best marks according to the Euro-NCAP and IIHS standards
In the Euro-NCAP and US IIHS offset crash tests, the vehicle travelling at a
speed of 40 mph or 64.5 km/h hits a deformable obstacle with only 40 per cent
front overlap - a crash scenario regarded as one of the most difficult to
fulfill. Here, applying the criteria of the US Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety (IIHS), the X5 achieves the best mark possible - "Good" - for the
driver. In the Euro-NCAP, in turn, a test also considering side impacts, the
new BMW likewise achieves four out of four stars.

This is ensured by the specific distribution of collision forces throughout the
entire vehicle. Together with reinforcements in the transmission tunnel, the
extra-large side-sills, the seat crossbars and bridges bolted on to the
transmission tunnel, forces are spread out among the entire floorpan and
adequate lateral stiffness is ensured in the event of a collision from the
side. The side-frames extending deep down form the outer load-bearing structure
within the bodyshell, complete absence of joints and connection points
guaranteeing optimum strength and stability. Load-bearing inner panels, in
turn, cover the profile sections inside for even greater stability. Additional
profile plates are then used in highly exposed areas, particularly in the
columns, the roof frame and side-sills, ensuring yet a further increase in
safety. Even under extreme load conditions as in the 40 mph/64 km/h offset
collision, the passenger cell thus maintains its full safety function.

Side collision: Optimum protection - whether it's a car or a tree
Hitting a deformable barrier from the side either in the US-NCAP test at 38.8
mph or 62.5 km/h or in the Euro-NCAP at 31 mph or 50 km/h, the X5 again proves
its optimum safety: The result in the US test is five out of five possible
stars on all seats, while in the European test (also involving a frontal
collision) the score is four out of four stars. An additional test was
conducted whereby the vehicle hit a 9.8 inch or 25-cm-thick tree-trunk at 20
mph or 32 km/h. The result showed a Head Injury Criterion (HIC) of less than
600 - a relatively uncritical figure.

To protect the occupants in collisions from the side, not only the maximum
intrusion of the side structure, but also the rate of intrusion within the
contact period affecting the occupants is reduced to a minimum. Over and above
the structural measures already described, the structure of the B-pillars is
particularly elaborate, above all at the lower connection points, in the roof
area, and on sill level exposed to very high loads and forces. Benefitting from
structural reinforcements at the side, the high level of the sills, and
reinforcements in the floorpan, the X5 offers a particularly great safety
potential in side collisions. Added to this there is the supplementary safety
effect of BMW's unique Head Protection System (HPS), which guarantees more
safety particularly in collisions against narrow or slender objects such as
trees or light-posts.

Rear-end collision: Optimum protection in bumper-to-bumper impacts
The high standard of safety provided by the X5 also in collisions from behind
is confirmed in the 31 mph or 50 km/h rear-end collision against a solid
obstacle: Again, the passenger cell remains intact without any deformation, all
doors can be opened by hand, and the fuel system remains absolutely tight,
without any leakage.

The rear deformation area of the X5 is made up primarily of two conical support
elements extending from the rear end of the car to the front, a crossbar near
the axle, the floor panel in the trunk, the rear-end crossbar and the rear side
panels.

The careful balance of rear structure deformation and passenger cell stability
retains the full safety function of the passenger cell also under asymmetric
accident loads, again allowing the doors to be opened afterwards without any
problems. Beyond all legal standards and requirements, this is also the case
under extreme offset crash conditions with only 40 per cent overlap.

To avoid fire under all conditions, BMW gives top priority to the fuel system
remaining tight and free of leaks regardless of the type of accident. To
achieve this goal the tank is made of high-density polyethylene as on BMW's
sedan and coupés, and is located at a safe point in front of the rear axle.
Since the X5 must also prove its qualities off-road, the tank area is
additionally protected to the outside by extra-strong plastic covers. Metal
pipes extending to the engine with compensation sections on the way also help
to avoid even the slightest leakage even in the event of significant relative
movements between the engine and the body of the vehicle, for example when
hitting a tree. And in severe accidents a signal obtained from the airbag
control unit serves to deactivate the fuel pump, largely preventing the risk of
the vehicle catching fire on account of fuel able to escape.

Making sure it doesn't even happen: active BMW safety
BMW has reached its objective in developing a supreme standard of passive
safety in the X5: The X5 comes with the high safety standards of BMW sedan
combined with the concept benefits of an SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle), such as
high side-sills and an extra-stiff body.
To avoid accidents in the first place, however, particular attention was given
from the start to active safety in developing the X5. Contrary to conventional
off-roaders, the X5 comes with independent suspension and features the most
advanced electronic control system: Dynamic Stability Control (DSC). Reflecting
the wider range of motoring conditions and requirements in the X5, DSC is
supplemented here by ADB-X (Automatic Differential Brake) and "intelligent" HDC
Hill Descent Control. The X5 also features a high-performance brake system that
offers the same deceleration and stopping power as in a 7 Series sedan. In all,
therefore, the driver of the X5 has a BMW offering safe, agile and comfortable
driving characteristics both on the road and off.
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