wikedgolf
08-16-2007, 07:06 PM
BMW 5-Series rated worst in crash test
Spending big bucks on a car doesn't guarantee it'll be the safest, an insurance group reports today, ranking the 2008 BMW 5-Series the worst performer in a side-impact crash test of luxury sedans.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released its rankings for the BMW, four other 2007 model luxury sedans and the lower-priced Kia Amanti.
The Volvo S80, Acura RL and Kia Amanti were deemed "good," earning the highest safety rating, followed by the Mercedes E-Class and Cadillac STS, which were deemed "acceptable."
The ratings are based on crash tests done by the institute in which a barrier designed to replicate the front end of a typical sport utility vehicle or pickup strikes the tested vehicle in the driver's side at 31 mph, the speed of a serious crash. Instrumented test dummies are in the driver's seat and directly behind the driver in the rear seat.
Side impacts are the second most common fatal crash type after frontal crashes.
The institute was critical specifically of the BMW's protection against torso injuries, even though the car has side-impact air bags intended to prevent them.
"Measures recorded on the driver dummy indicate that rib fractures and internal organ injuries would be likely to occur in a real-world crash of this severity," the institute said. "A pelvic fracture also would be possible."
In a statement yesterday from its New Jersey offices, BMW of North America said, "We are confident that on the road in the real world BMW vehicles are among the safest. This conclusion is supported by real-world crash data not only in the U.S., but worldwide."
Results of other institute crash tests of these five models, measuring frontal and rear-impact protection, had been released earlier.
All are available on the institute's Web site, iihs.org.
The Volvo S80 was rated "good" in those categories, making it the only car in its group to earn a "top safety pick" designation from the institute.
The Mercedes E-Class sedan also was deemed "good" in frontal and rear impacts, but its "acceptable" side-impact rating precluded a "top pick" rating. The Acura RL also was rated good in frontal protection but was "marginal" in protecting against neck injuries when the car was struck in the rear, the institute reported. The Cadillac STS was "good" in the frontal crash but "poor" in rear impact protection.
The S80 lists for between $40,000 and $50,000. BMW's 5-Series models begin at about $44,000. The Amanti begins at about $26,000.
"The Amanti shows that you don't have to buy an expensive car to get good protection in crashes with SUVs and pickup trucks," institute president Adrian Lund said in a statement.
Source:http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzcrash165333615aug16,0,986372.story
Spending big bucks on a car doesn't guarantee it'll be the safest, an insurance group reports today, ranking the 2008 BMW 5-Series the worst performer in a side-impact crash test of luxury sedans.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released its rankings for the BMW, four other 2007 model luxury sedans and the lower-priced Kia Amanti.
The Volvo S80, Acura RL and Kia Amanti were deemed "good," earning the highest safety rating, followed by the Mercedes E-Class and Cadillac STS, which were deemed "acceptable."
The ratings are based on crash tests done by the institute in which a barrier designed to replicate the front end of a typical sport utility vehicle or pickup strikes the tested vehicle in the driver's side at 31 mph, the speed of a serious crash. Instrumented test dummies are in the driver's seat and directly behind the driver in the rear seat.
Side impacts are the second most common fatal crash type after frontal crashes.
The institute was critical specifically of the BMW's protection against torso injuries, even though the car has side-impact air bags intended to prevent them.
"Measures recorded on the driver dummy indicate that rib fractures and internal organ injuries would be likely to occur in a real-world crash of this severity," the institute said. "A pelvic fracture also would be possible."
In a statement yesterday from its New Jersey offices, BMW of North America said, "We are confident that on the road in the real world BMW vehicles are among the safest. This conclusion is supported by real-world crash data not only in the U.S., but worldwide."
Results of other institute crash tests of these five models, measuring frontal and rear-impact protection, had been released earlier.
All are available on the institute's Web site, iihs.org.
The Volvo S80 was rated "good" in those categories, making it the only car in its group to earn a "top safety pick" designation from the institute.
The Mercedes E-Class sedan also was deemed "good" in frontal and rear impacts, but its "acceptable" side-impact rating precluded a "top pick" rating. The Acura RL also was rated good in frontal protection but was "marginal" in protecting against neck injuries when the car was struck in the rear, the institute reported. The Cadillac STS was "good" in the frontal crash but "poor" in rear impact protection.
The S80 lists for between $40,000 and $50,000. BMW's 5-Series models begin at about $44,000. The Amanti begins at about $26,000.
"The Amanti shows that you don't have to buy an expensive car to get good protection in crashes with SUVs and pickup trucks," institute president Adrian Lund said in a statement.
Source:http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzcrash165333615aug16,0,986372.story