E39 safety in the modern age

It was designed a long time ago now, it's a big car, but we all know that isn't all that's important based on this thread. 

But, BMW seems like they weren't/aren't stupid, and maybe were ahead of their time. 

Can the E39 sedan hang with any modern-ish car at all? Or is it hiding behind the veil of size? 

I test drove a 540/6, and that was a mistake. Or was it? 

It certainly won't fare as well in a crash as a 25-year newer design. It's got fewer driver assist capabilities as well, so it's more likely to get in an accident in that regard. 

What it does have going for it is visibility. You can see out of an E39 much better than most new vehicles, other than maybe height. So that gives an attentive driver a better chance of not actually being in the accident in the first  place.

That said, I love my E39 and I certainly don't feel vulnerable driving it.

In reply to Steve :

Probably not a mistake.  This car and the same time period 330i have always appealed to me.  I know the newer models are faster, but I'm not sure they are as good.

Well, I can't offer subjective data, but I bet on the safety of the E39 when I got a 530i for my oldest son when he got his license in high school.  Five years later, that car is now in the hands of my younger son, and it thankfully remains untested.  I know it has dynamic stability control, anti-lock brakes, and a lot of airbags for a car of that vintage (2003).  With Michelin PS4 All Seasons on it, it sticks in a corner very nicely, rain or shine.  I would say that in terms of capability, it's as safe, or safer than many cars today. 

I always chuckle when I hear the E39 described as a "big" car.  Really, it seems no larger than a 2010's Honda Accord.  For me, anything smaller is simply "too small."

We got a fair deal on this car five years ago, and it only had 120k miles on it.  I've got to believe that it's getting harder to find a nice example that doesn't have near 200k on it and a ton of deferred maintenance, but if you do, I believe that the E39 can still make a satisfying daily driver.  At least the inline 6 does.  I hear stories about the 8-cylinder cars....

I think this is the pertinent crash test from 1997. Looks like the 98 and up had side impact airbags as well.  https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/bmw/5-series-4-door-sedan/1997

Here is an overview of the recent history of IHS testing. Manufacturers "teach" to the test so you can begin to piece together how the E39 would fare if it was tested today. https://www.iihs.org/ratings/about-our-tests

I'm about as paranoid as it gets for a car guy, but would feel pretty good about having a family member in one of these.

An E39 won't be as safe as a lot of brand new cars, but it's modern enough, well built, and has enough air bags that it's still safe enough for me to not worry much about it. 

I daily an E38, which is basically the same chassis but larger.  Has front airbags, A pillar inflatable tube bags, and side airbags in the front doors (mine doesn't have the optional rear door bags).  Most E39s will have the same. 

As Keith and others said, those cars have good visibility, good handling, etc. so with a decent driver, it's easier to avoid an accident in the first place than with some cars.  That said, they don't have a modern level of "save me when I screw up" features, but at least for me, that's ok.  My E38 has ABS, traction/stability control (DSC), and parking sensors.  That's a good enough level of "oops prevention" tech in my mind.  Especially considering I bought it coming from DD-ing the Jeep with 2 airbags and no driver assists at all (the mediocre ABS it had has been removed). 

I can say that in any vehicle I've driven, I'd be more likely to attribute having narrowly avoided something to being in a vehicle with half-decent handling and a good, sticky set of tires than anything else.  I've definitely had a moment (when someone did something really dumb in front of me in probably early November) where I had the thought "good thing I didn't put the snow tires on yet, as there's no way I would have avoided that with much less grip."  All the driver assists in the world can't change the laws of physics.  So as long as the vehicle is something that'll hold up "well enough" in a crash, I'm happy, as I'd rather focus on avoiding it in the first place. 

I'd feel pretty good about dailying an E39, but definitely find one with side airbags. IMHO, those are a must-have, as they make a difference in a pretty bad place to be hit, and one you're probably not going to have control over--if somebody is running a red light in the middle of the cycle and you're going through at 50 mph, odds are low you'll have time to notice/react before they hit your driver's door.

According to the wiki, all E39's had side airbags as standard equipment:

"The E39 was one of the first vehicles (alongside the E38 7 Series) to have curtain airbags, which protect the occupants' heads in a side impact.[16] Standard equipment on the launch models included dual front and side airbags, pretensioners and load limiters for the front seatbelts"

The E39 is insanely over-built.  I cut one literally to pieces, and I can vouch for how well one would do in a wreck, just based on the crazy amount of structure there is in certain areas, namely around the A-pillars.  These things are heavy for a reason, and it's not just the non-working power seats, stereo, or window regulators.  I would be happy to get in a wreck in one of these cars, if it would stay running long enough . . .

Severly overbuilt, this was after hydroplaning backwards into a concrete barrier at "75" mph. I drove it off the road afterwards although once I shut it off I forgot it had the battery connection ejector so it wouldn't restart. The floor ripped from that corner all the way to the drivers seat but I had zero injuries. It was a sudden bump for sure