The BMW X5 is the safest vehicle ever tested

The BMW X5 performed better than any SUV ever tested by the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety in its 40 mph offset crash test. Based
on the results, 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.
More details on the test may be found at the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety website at www.highwaysafety.org.