The XM’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The I-Pace doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.
In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the XM are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The I-Pace doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The BMW XM has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The I-Pace doesn’t offer knee airbags.
The XM has a standard PostCrash iBrake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The I-Pace doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XM has a standard Active Park Distance Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The I-Pace doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.
When descending a steep, off-road slope, the XM’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The I-Pace doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.
Both the XM and the I-Pace have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.
The BMW XM weighs 1279 pounds more than the Jaguar I-Pace. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.