For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Buick Envision are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X5 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.
To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Envision. But it costs extra on the X5.
The Buick Envision comes with a standard HD Surround Vision, while the BMW X5 doesn’t offer a camera washer, requiring manual cleaning.
Both the Envision and the X5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available front parking sensors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Buick Envision is safer than the BMW X5:
|
|
Envision |
X5 |
| OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
|
Driver |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
| HIC |
175 |
209 |
| Neck Injury Risk |
21.3% |
34% |
| Neck Stress |
195 lbs. |
308 lbs. |
| Neck Compression |
25 lbs. |
112 lbs. |
| Leg Forces (l/r) |
153/386 lbs. |
636/584 lbs. |
|
|
Passenger |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
| HIC |
223 |
342 |
| Chest Compression |
.6 inches |
.8 inches |
| Neck Injury Risk |
23.1% |
35% |
| Neck Stress |
111 lbs. |
220 lbs. |
| Neck Compression |
61 lbs. |
91 lbs. |
| Leg Forces (l/r) |
221/21 lbs. |
527/418 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Buick Envision is safer than the BMW X5:
|
|
Envision |
X5 |
|
|
Front Seat |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| Hip Force |
261 lbs. |
279 lbs. |
|
|
Rear Seat |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| Hip Force |
572 lbs. |
584 lbs. |
|
|
Into Pole |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| HIC |
249 |
308 |
| Spine Acceleration |
36 G’s |
44 G’s |
| Hip Force |
313 lbs. |
796 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

