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2017 BMW 5 Series earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+

With optional equipment, the 5er passed with flying colors.

Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
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Andrew Krok
2 min read

When a car earns the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's top accolade, Top Safety Pick+, you can assume it's going to be a damned safe car. Now, BMW can place another of its own on that list.

The IIHS announced that the 2017 BMW 5 Series was sturdy enough to pick up the Top Safety Pick+ designation. To achieve this, it must perform well in a battery of tests that examine many different aspects of a vehicle's safety, from crashworthiness to ease of child-seat anchor use.

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Nothing a little elbow grease can't fix.

 BMW

The Bimmer performed admirably in the IIHS' five major crash tests -- small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and seats/head restraints. On each of those crash tests, the 5er received a score of "Good." It also received that score when the IIHS tested its front crash prevention, although it requires optional equipment.

Unlike years before, the IIHS now tests headlights, as well. The 5 Series' base LED projectors received a score of "Marginal," due to inadequate visibility on the left with both low beams and high beams. With the optional LED projectors in the Premium and Lighting packages, that score went up to "Good."

The IIHS also tests how easy it is to use the child seat anchors. The 5er received a score of "Acceptable" in this category. The anchors were easy to find and didn't require much force to attach, but they were called out for being difficult to maneuver around.

The IIHS lists on its website the winners of both the Top Safety Pick+ award, as well as its almost-as-good Top Safety Pick designation. The 2017 BMW 5 Series joins several other BMW Group vehicles on this list, including the 2017 Mini Cooper (TSP), 2017 BMW 2 Series (TSP+), 2017 BMW 3 Series (TSP+) and 2017 BMW X1 (TSP).