Safety

The X3 earned a 2009 Top Safety Pick designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the agency's highest award. That means it earned top scores in IIHS' frontal-offset, side-impact and rear crash tests. All X3s have standard electronic stability control and a full complement of airbags.

As of publication, the Q5, GLK350 and XC60 hadn't been tested by IIHS.

    See also:

    Braking: One Step Up, Two Back
    There is an aspect of the 5 Series that we do object to, though, and that's the braking. To be clear, the car stops well enough; it's not a safety concern. The problem is the feel of the braking, ...

    Rain sensor
    The concept The time between wipes is controlled automatically and depends on the intensity of the rainfall. The sensor is located on the windshield, directly in front of the interior rearview m ...

    Self-leveling headlights
    The self-leveling headlights feature adapts the light distribution to the contours of the road. The light distribution is lowered on hilltops to avoid blinding oncoming traffic and tilted in depr ...