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Wednesday - 15:23 05/31/2000, EST BMW 3 Series Earns Top Marks in Crash Test

DETROIT (Reuters) - The BMW 3 Series sedan earned top marks among five mid-size luxury cars which performed well in a crash test, the U.S. insurance group which conducted the study said on Wednesday.
The BMW 328i (BMWG.F), the Volvo S80 (F.N), and the Cadillac Catera (GM.N), all earned a "good" rating in the 40 mile per hour frontal offset crash test, while the Saab 9-5 (GM.N) and the Audi A6 (VOWG.F) both received an "acceptable" rating.

"Overall, this is a good group of vehicles," said Brian O'Neill, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a non-profit group funded by automobile insurers. "Good structural design is the key to good performance in the offset test."

In the crash tests, the luxury cars were driven into a deformable barrier at 40 mph with the driver side of the vehicle taking the impact, raising the risk of intrusion into the occupant compartment compared to a full-frontal crash.

The BMW occupant compartment held its shape, with low likelihood of injury, earning the vehicle a "best pick" designation by the institute. The Volvo S80 also performed well. However, it didn't earn a "best pick" because the airbags inflated at speeds as low as 5 mph, and they release hot gas near the driver's hands. The new 2001 model Volvo S80 corrects these problems, so it will receive a "best pick", the institute said.
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SOURCE: BMW North America More press articles...

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