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2017 BMW 5 Series Crash-Tested by IIHS, Scores Top Safety Pick+

The all-new generation of the BMW 5 Series received the Top Safety Pick+ accolade, the highest available from the American Institute of Highway Safety. So you pay top dollar, but at least it's safe.
2017 BMW 5 Series Crash-Tested by IIHS, Scores Top Safety Pick+ 4 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
2017 BMW 5 Series Crash-Tested by IIHS, Scores Top Safety Pick+2017 BMW 5 Series Crash-Tested by IIHS, Scores Top Safety Pick+2017 BMW 5 Series Crash-Tested by IIHS, Scores Top Safety Pick+
The mid-sized premium sedan was subjected to five different crash tests - small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraints. That's an elaborate way of saying that a lot of BMWs were destroyed and are now headed for the scrapper.

In the video below, you can see the 5 Series enduring the famous small overlap test. Under controlled conditions, the car impacted the crash barrier over only a quarter of its front end while traveling at 40mph.

As usual, the front wheel shatters into a million pieces, and the left side of the car becomes almost unrecognizable. But we know a guy in Russia who can fix it like new. That's not the point; the point is that the 5 Series with Extended Collision Mitigation earn “Superior” ratings in front crash prevention, avoiding both collisions during testing at 12 mph and 25 mph.

The IIHS says that the driver space was maintained well, with maximum intrusion of 5 inches at the footrest. The airbags and safety belt worked well together to control the dummy's movement, suggesting there would be a reduced risk of injury in the event of a real-world crash.

The Institute also pointed out that when the earlier model was tested, maximum intrusion reached 12 inches at the footrest and 3 inches for the steering column. This would likely result in the driver suffering chest pain and left foot injuries.

But as usual, it's not a perfect picture. The BMW 5 Series has two types of headlights. The full-LED ones that come with a premium package received a good rating, while the standard ones are rated marginal. We would have liked to see auto emergency braking and good headlights to be offered as standard on a BMW that starts at $52,000.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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