Even in version 0.5.5, the core selling point was intact. The soft-body physics were fully functional. Vehicles did not simply crumple according to pre-baked animations; every component was a node connected by beams. Crashing a car in 0.5.5 felt distinctively raw. While modern versions have refined the damping and weight distribution to feel more realistic, v0.5.5 had a chaotic, "jello-like" quality that players found entertaining. The deformation was visceral, but the "jiggling" of the chassis after a crash was much more pronounced than in current builds.
map had just been introduced in the preceding v0.5.4 update. Important Note on "IGG" igg-beamng.drive.v0.5.5