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 X5 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The XC60 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The BMW X5 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 XC60 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.
With its standard Active Pedestrian Protection, the BMW X5 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volvo XC60, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
|
X5 |
XC60 |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
Crossing Child - DAY |
|
12 MPH |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH |
AVOIDED |
-22 MPH |
|
Crossing Adult - NIGHT |
|
12 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
12 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
|
Parallel Adult - NIGHT |
|
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-24 MPH |
25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
37 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-23 MPH |
Warning Issued-Brights |
2.1 sec |
2 sec |
37 MPH Low beams |
-35 MPH |
-11 MPH |
Warning Issued-Low beams |
1.4 sec |
.6 sec |
Both the X5 and the XC60 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.
Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the BMW X5 is safer than the XC60:
|
X5 |
XC60 |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Structure |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
35 |
106 |
Neck Tension |
134 lbs. |
201 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
.47 in |
.59 in |
Torso Max Deflection |
.83 in |
1.42 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
4 MPH |
8 MPH |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
MARGINAL |
Pelvis Force |
647 lbs. |
1205 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
36 |
195 |
Neck Tension |
45 lbs. |
89 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Shoulder Deflection |
.24 in |
1.22 in |
Shoulder Force |
89 lbs. |
357 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
.63 in |
1.26 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
4 MPH |
8 MPH |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
MARGINAL |
Pelvis Force |
692 lbs. |
1316 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
The BMW X5 achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The XC60 last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2023.