We know that safety isn't necessarily the flashiest selling point for a vehicle, so when it comes to selling the BMW 3 Series, Tampa area dealerships like ourselves don't always push that particular characteristic as much as, say, fuel economy or technology or aesthetics or horsepower.   But when it really comes down to it, an educated consumer with a family is going to understand that safety features and ratings really do matter.  That's why the new, totally redesigned 2012 BMW 3 Series earning the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's prestigious Top Safety Pick designation is much more valuable than some people realize.

For those that don't know, the IIHS tests every vehicle in frontal-onset, side-impact, and rollover crash tests, and any vehicle that scores top marks of "Good" in all three (which isn't easy to do, by the way), gets to call itself a Top Safety Pick.  That's the case with the new 3 Series, but it's not just great crash test results that make this such a reputable vehicle in the arena of safety.

The new 3 Series includes a Head-Up Display that allows the driver to look ahead rather than down while driving, a Lane Departure and Lane Change Warning, adaptive headlights that auto-dim based on the amount of light available outside, advanced emergency calling in case of an accident, and a Rear-View Camera with surround View, which uses 5 cameras around the car to keep the driver alerted to what's happening around them.

All that, plus airbags and standard traction and stability control are what make this car so safe.  Hey, maybe it should be our flashiest selling point after all!