BMW 5 Series

The passenger compartment of the 5 Series remained stable in the offset frontal impact.  Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs of the driver and passenger.  BMW demonstrated that, for the passenger's side, a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sat in different positions.  On the driver's side, incorrect deployment of the knee airbag in the full-width test led to penalties for this body region in both frontal impact tests.  In the full-width frontal test, the knee airbag did not deploy quickly enough to get between the right knee and the dashboard.  Although dummy readings for both legs were good, protection of the knee/femur/pelvis region was penalised.  BMW stated that the airbag deployment seen in Euro NCAP's test was anomalous and had not been observed in their development tests.  Protection of the neck of the driver and the chest of the rear passenger was rated as marginal.  In the side barrier test, maximum points were scored, with good protection of all critical body regions.  Even in the more severe side pole test, protection was good, apart from the chest, protection of which was adequate.  Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision.  A geometric assessment of the rear seats indicated good protection there too.  The 5 Series has, as standard, and autonomous emergency braking system which operates at the low speeds, typical of city driving, at which many whiplash injuries are caused.  The system scored maximum points in Euro NCAP's tests, with complete avoidance of collision at all test speeds.