BMW's efforts to fine-tune the 2 Series Gran Coupe's headlights paid off with a 2021 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick award for models equipped with the Premium package. BMW missed out on a nod in 2020 because the curve-adaptive lights weren't quite up to snuff.
2 Series Gran Coupes built after December 2020 with the curve-adaptive lighting manage an "Acceptable" rating. When paired with the baby BMW's excellent scores in the remainder of the IIHS gauntlet, that's good enough for a Top Safety Pick nod. The Gran Coupe's standard lights were still rated merely "Marginal."
The criteria for earning a Top Safety Pick nod include "Good" ratings in all six crashworthiness tests (driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint) and "Advanced" or "Superior" ratings in both the vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian active safety system tests, but the most troublesome hurdle for manufacturers to clear of late has been in the category of headlight quality.
Since 2020, IIHS has required vehicles to offer at least one headlight package that earns a "Good" or "Acceptable" rating in order to qualify for Top Safety Pick; for the Top Safety Pick+ award, "Good" or "Acceptable" headlights must be standard on all models.
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