If you know a thing or two about automobiles, you won't be surprised by the fact that muscle cars aren't as safe as other vehicles, with official crash tests having proven this. The most recent example came earlier this year, when the Ford Mustang only received two stars after being tested by the Euro NCAP.
The Blue Oval has responded to the criticism by introducing extra standard safety gear, with the Old Continent safety body having recently tested the pony again. And the results do show an improvement, with the 'Stang having received three stars.
When the Mustang was tested a few months ago, the airbags didn't fully deploy, while the seatbelt pre-tensioners, along with the load limiters also performed below standards.
While the airbag issue has been addressed, the Mustang's standard safety features now include pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking and.
As we mentioned in the intro, such issues cover the entire muscle car realm. For one thing, U.S. crash tests have shown that the Mustang is safer than both the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger.
And if we compare the Mustang to the rest of the cars that were included in the freshest batch of Euro NCAP tests, such as the five-star Alfa Romeo Stelvio, the five-star VW Arteon or the four-star Honda Civic, there's one thing that stands out.
You see, while the gap in terms of adult occupant protection rating is moderate (the Mustang sits at 72%, while a 90% rating can be considered normal), the Ford falls seriously behind the other in terms of child occupant protection (32% vs. a normal value of around 70%).
As for the pedestrian safety and driver assist ratings, these seem to fall within the average of the said lot.
Since there's only so much that extra safety features and better calibration can do, we'll have to wait for serious structural changes, which usually arrive with all-new models, to see muscle cars delivering proper safety.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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