VIDEO: BMW 2 Series Named IIHS Top Safety Pick+

The 2014 model-year BMW 2 series, a luxury sports coupe, has captured the Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

To qualify for the honor, the BMW 2 series car scored an overall “good” rating in IIHS crash tests as well as an “advanced” rating for front crash prevention. The vehicle is the first BMW model to earn either of the institute's safety awards for 2014 and the first BMW to earn a “good” or “acceptable” rating in the challenging small overlap front crash test, IIHS said. 

BMW redesigned the 1 series for the 2014 model year and renamed it the 2 series. The 2 series drew “good” ratings in the small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint evaluations. The head restraint rating applies only to models manufactured after June 2014.

In the small overlap test, the driver's space was maintained reasonably well, IIHS said. Injury measures recorded on the driver dummy indicated a low risk of any significant injuries in a real-world crash of this severity. 

The dummy's head made good contact with the frontal air bag, which stayed in position during the crash, IIHS said. Also, the side curtain air bag deployed to protect the head from contact with side structures.

IIHS introduced the small overlap evaluation in 2012. This test is more challenging than either the NHTSA head-on crashes or the IIHS moderate overlap test. Twenty-five percent of a vehicle's front end on the driver's side strikes a rigid barrier at 40 mph. The crash replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle strikes another vehicle or object such as a tree or utility pole.

An optional forward-collision warning and braking system, called City Braking, earned the 2 series an “advanced” rating for front crash prevention. The system has automatic braking technology, which significantly reduced the vehicle's speed in the 12 mph test, IIHS said.

The 2 series is the fifth midsize luxury car to earn IIHS’s highest award for 2014. To qualify for Top Safety Pick+, a vehicle must score a “good” or “acceptable” rating for small overlap protection, a “good” rating in the institute's other four tests, and a “basic,” “advanced” or “superior” rating for front crash prevention.

To view video footage of the car's small overlap crash test, click on the photo or link just below the headline.