The Ford Mustang outperformed its domestic muscle car rivals in the latest series of crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, but none of the three managed to earn top ratings in the closely watched tests.
This marks the first time the insurance industry-funded safety group tested and compared all three of the domestic “pony cars,” a move that reflects the fact that muscle cars collectively suffer some of the highest loss rates of any vehicle category, according to government statistics.
“Given that sports cars have high crash rates, it’s especially important that they offer the best occupant protection possible in a crash,” said IIHS President Adrian Lund.
But that proved not to be the case, according to the latest series of tests which subjected the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger to five different types of common crashes.
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Overall, the Ford Mustang outperformed its rivals, scoring “Acceptable” or better on four of the five crash simulations but falling short in the small overlap test. That is designed to simulate what happens when two cars clip headlights on a narrow road or when a vehicle’s front corner hits a pole at 40 mph. It is considered one of the most common serious collision.
“The Mustang is just one good rating away from earning Top Safety Pick,” Lund points out. “Its small overlap rating holds it back.”
The Chevy Camaro actually did well on the small overlap test – which has required manufacturers to significantly redesign their vehicles since the test was introduced a few years ago.
Redesigned for the 2016 model-year, the Camaro features a safety cage meant to protect occupants from having components of the vehicle pushed into the passenger compartment, noted Lund. “The Camaro’s safety cage is built to resist intrusion in a small overlap crash, and that’s good news for Camaro drivers.”
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But the Camaro performed poorly in the roof test designed to measure performance in a rollover crash. And it lacks the forward collision warning system now required for a vehicle to get the IIHS’s top rating. Both Mustang and Challenger offer optional warning systems – which a separate IIHS study has shown can reduce the risk of frontal crashes by as much as 17% on vehicles equipped with the technology.
All three muscle cars earned good ratings for occupant protection in a moderate overlap front crash, as well as a side impact.
But the Dodge Challenger was the weakest of the three models tested, according to the IIHS, with problems in the roof crush and small overlap tests, as well as seat and headrest strength.
“During the crash, the Challenger’s front wheel was forced rearward into the occupant compartment, and the footwell intrusion trapped the dummy’s left foot and deformed its ankle,” Lund explained. “Our technicians had to unbolt the dummy’s foot from its leg in order to free it. Entrapment is pretty rare. That’s only happened five other times in a small overlap test.”
Collectively, muscle cars experience the highest level of claims crash damage repairs of any passenger vehicle, according to data from the Highway Loss Data Institute.
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