BMW’s midsize luxury SUV, the X5, received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) Top Safety Pick + award, but only when it had the proper headlights.
The vehicle was redesigned for 2019 and got high ratings in all six IIHS categories for crashworthiness. In order to earn this award, a vehicle must have good ratings in these six categories and an advanced rating for front crash prevention and high-scoring headlights.
Although the X5 had a superior front crash prevention system, its standard headlights failed to get a decent rating. In fact, these headlights scored “Poor” with IIHS, which is the lowest score possible.
However, with the Executive trim level or as an added option of upgraded headlights, it was able to earn the award. Potential buyers should note that the X5 only aces this test thanks to these optional headlights on other trim levels and coming standard on the Executive model.
The good news is that these headlights are adaptive, going from high to low beam based on oncoming traffic, and are LED.
The 5 series and X3 have also earned this honor from IIHS and the X2 earned a Top Safety Pick award. Not many midsize luxury SUVs have earned the Top Safety Pick + award, only the Acura RDX and Mercedes-Benz GLC.
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The BMW X5 features more horsepower, improved suspension, and new tech for 2019. With a $65,250 price tag for the Executive trim level (which comes with the better headlights), buyers might not blink at paying more for such a prestigious safety award.
Source: IIHS.org