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2017 BMW 2 Series Coupe Gets IIHS Top Safety Pick+ after Stepping into the Light

Headlights are an active safety aspect that many, if not most, carmakers have ignored for years. However, since recent safety tests also take the lighting into account, automakers have started upping the ante on this front. Case in point with the 2017 BMW 2 Series Coupe.
2017 BMW 2 Series Coupe 5 photos
Photo: BMW
BMW 2 Series Coupe IIHS small overlap crash testBMW 2 Series Coupe IIHS small overlap crash testBMW 2 Series Coupe IIHS small overlap crash testBMW 2 Series Coupe IIHS small overlap crash test
The 2 Series Coupe has recently earned the Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), with the latter particle being the important detail here.

You see, when the IIHS tested the 2017 2er in December last year, the Coupe received a Top Safety Pick title. This meant the Bimmer had received "Good" ratings, the highest ones available across the board, namely for the small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints.

However, the unsatisfactory headlight ratings preventing the vehicle from also grabbing the "plus" - starting with the 2017 tests, that title requires an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating for the headlights.

As a result, the German automaker worked on the lights, with the Institute re-testing the car later that month. The revised model received a "Good" rating for the headlights, hence the new accolade.

Nevertheless, we have to explain the fact that the 2017 BMW 2 Series only aces the IIHS lighting tests when gifted with the optional Lighting Package, which, among others, includes HID headlights. As for the standard, halogen headlights, these still grab a "Poor" rating, the lowest possible one, with the scenario applying to both the low and the high beam visibility.

What about the overall crash performance of the BMW 2 Series?

Lighting details aside, we added the original crash test footage from 2014 below, which shows the BMW 2 Series' small and moderate front overlap performance.

P.S.: We'll remind you that the 2017 BMW 3 Series has also received a Top Safety Pick+ award for the first time, but the sedan needed a bit more than just headlights updates for the job.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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