Modern Muscle Cars Aren’t Quite As Safe As You’d Think

The Mustang, Challenger and Camaro all missed out on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's top safety ratings, with two struggling with the challenging overlap tests

Matt Robinson

24 May 2016

Since sports cars tend to be driven enthusiastically, it’s important they’re as safe as possible. However, a trio of modern muscle cars - a Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger - all missed out on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) top safety ratings.

To nab the IIHS’ ‘Top Safety Pick’, a car needs a ‘good’ rating in the small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restrain tests, and have some kind of front crash prevention system. The Mustang came closest, but was let down by an ‘acceptable’ rating in the small overlap test, where the roof buckled and the A-pillar plus instrument panel intruded into the cockpit.

The Camaro fared much better in the small overlap, but it scored only ‘acceptable’ in the roof strength test, and doesn’t have any front crash prevention tech.

The Challenger - the oldest of the trio - performed the worst, scoring ‘acceptable’ for roof strength and the head restraints, and only ‘marginal’ in the small overlap.

So in other words, room for improvement with all three cars…

Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.

Comments

*crowd shouts happily in the background

Me:Whats the solution America
America:More Powaaaa

More power + bigger tires.

Ofcourse theyre not.
They are cars that let you go fast for cheap. Safety comes at a price, the lesser solid material saves weight and money.
You really cant expect cheap cars to be on par with more expensive things. they dont make the same car and then just price it lower cause they can….

These cars are by no means cheap. A fairly optioned GT Mustang is closer to $40k, when the average car price is right around $30k.

Everything isnt very safe when you smash them into a wall at high speed 😂

Ford wanted mustangs to stop hitting crowds, Solution: Make the mustang unsafe so the driver is discouraged to hit the crowds… it didnt work.

IIHS i watched that

Now imagine you just recieved your delivery of your Challenger Hellcat, and you watched those videos. I’m quite sure you will get closer and pray more to God.