BMW 5 - Manual (Page 53)

BMW
Media
Information
11/2009
Page 53
come as standard with crash-activated headrests. Masterminded by the car’s
safety electronics, these headrests move up instantaneously in the event of
a collision, closing the gap between the front end of the headrest and the
occupant’s head by up to 60 cm or 24” front-to-rear and up to 40 cm/16” in
a vertical direction. The occupant’s head is therefore very close to the
headrest even before being moved back by the forces acting on the car. This
enhances the stabilising and protective function of the headrests and reduces
the risk of injury or hyperextension around the occupant’s cervical spine.
Both ISOFIX child seat fastenings at the rear and the option to deactivate
the front passenger’s airbag naturally come as standard. The safety steering
column on the new BMW 5 Series, in turn, comes with a load-related
deformation element as well as an extra-large spacer unit protecting the driver
additionally from collision forces coming out of the engine compartment.
Active engine lid for optimum pedestrian safety.
To optimise the high standard of passive pedestrian safety, the new
BMW 5 Series Sedan comes, depending on national specifications,
with an active engine compartment lid automatically moving up in a collision
with a pedestrian. The pyrotechnical release mechanism is activated at
speeds between 20 and 55 km/h (12 - 34 mph) as soon as data acquired
by sensors at the front of the car indicate a collision with a pedestrian, lifting
up the engine lid 30 mm/1.18” at the front and 50 mm/1.97” at the rear.
This provides additional deformation travel beneath the engine lid, such
absorption of impact energy serving to reduce the risk of injury or at least
the consequences of an accident.
Optimum visibility: bi-xenon headlights, LED daytime driving lights
and Adaptive Headlights with variable light distribution.
The dual round headlights on the new BMW 5 Series Sedan so typical of
the brand ensure excellent illumination of the road in the dark and in the
case of poor visibility on account of bad weather. On the standard headlights,
LED light rings serve as positioning lights, again in typical BMW style, forming
a clear and consistent light circle.
Further standard features are the foglamps and the light sensor
automatically activating the low beam as a function of ambient brightness.
A rain sensor determining the intensity of precipitation and thus allowing
automatic adjustment of the screenwipers is likewise fitted as standard.
The new BMW 5 Series Sedan is available as an option with bi-xenon
headlights in which case the LED units in the characteristic light rings may