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Midsize Luxury Sedan Small Overlap Test: Surprising Results
Left Lane News
October 3, 2014
By: Justin King
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Large luxury cars naturally convey a perception of safety, but the BMW 5-Series and Lincoln MKS did not perform up to expectations in a recent series of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests.
Seven popular models from the segment were put through the challenging small-overlap test, which replicates a 40 mph head-on collision with a utility pole on the front edge of the vehicle.
The BMW 5-Series received a 'marginal' rating, with as much as 12 inches of intrusion into the cabin.
"However, there was considerably less intrusion in the upper interior," IIHS said in a statement. "The dummy's movement was well controlled, with both the front and side airbags doing their jobs. Injury measures indicated that left leg injuries would be likely."
The MKS was the worst performer in the group, resulting in a 'poor' rating. The structure also pushed in approximately 12 inches into the driver space, while the dummy's head brushed by the front airbag and slammed into the instrument panel.
Not coincidentally, the 5-Series design dates back to 2011 and the MKS hails from 2009. The small-overlap test was just introduced in 2012, inspiring many automakers to optimize the structures of new cars for such impacts.
Full article at link.
Left Lane News
October 3, 2014
By: Justin King
Large luxury cars naturally convey a perception of safety, but the BMW 5-Series and Lincoln MKS did not perform up to expectations in a recent series of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests.
Seven popular models from the segment were put through the challenging small-overlap test, which replicates a 40 mph head-on collision with a utility pole on the front edge of the vehicle.
The BMW 5-Series received a 'marginal' rating, with as much as 12 inches of intrusion into the cabin.
"However, there was considerably less intrusion in the upper interior," IIHS said in a statement. "The dummy's movement was well controlled, with both the front and side airbags doing their jobs. Injury measures indicated that left leg injuries would be likely."
The MKS was the worst performer in the group, resulting in a 'poor' rating. The structure also pushed in approximately 12 inches into the driver space, while the dummy's head brushed by the front airbag and slammed into the instrument panel.
Not coincidentally, the 5-Series design dates back to 2011 and the MKS hails from 2009. The small-overlap test was just introduced in 2012, inspiring many automakers to optimize the structures of new cars for such impacts.
Full article at link.
