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

It looks like Hellcat is the safest as well, and Mustang the least safest…mustang wheels even crumbled into peaces that looked like plastic while Hellcat wheels stayed fine… not to mention that Hellcat’s window wasn’t even cracked… Seems like the weight of Hellcat wasn’t just in the engine.

The wheels of the Dodge cut through the firewall into the leg of the driver dummy. That’s a hundred times more dangerous than just flying off. Oh, and the windows are the least of your worries after you run into a wall.
I said it before and I’ll say it again: a rigid car isn’t always a safe car. A safe car needs cumble zones, not bulletproof steel. The Mustang crumbles alot and is pretty much irrepairable after the crash, but that means that the car took most of the impact and the driver can probably walk away. Looking at the Dodge, the driver has only one leg and a suffers a serious whiplash. It is totally irrelevant how the car looks after the impact, the only thing that matters is the inside of the cabin.
Look at the small overlap crash test of the Volvo S60 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtsXK_Rryug). There is nothing left of the car, but it received a “good” rating nonetheless, because the passengers aren’t injured.

This was painful to watch,and those guys have worst job ever … Crash Ford its ok,but Camaro cmon!

the camaro is just fine. the internal occupancy was protected, this is the modern era you have to accept your car is going to disintegrate and your going to have to get a new one in a crash but thats fine because it gives up its life for you. The only weak point of the camaro was the rollover protection with a marginally worse roof. I really dont care about the auto stop tech that IIHS seems to be requiring for good.

Yes but why crash you car in the first place, it’s stupid! It just ruined your car and it’s dangerous too. I don’t understand why people does that…

Why was the Challenger tested in an other way then the two others?

I was looking for that exact comment. The Ford and Chevrolet were crashed against a tall rigid barrier hitting a very small portion of the side of the car. The Dodge on the other hand was crashed against a short soft barrier hitting almost half the front of the car. Why?!

Mustangs should just avoid the wall and head for the crowd instead.

They didn’t mention pedestrian safety, which is particularly important in the Mustang

I’m sure the crowds won’t do that much damage?

Keep in mind that each car’s safety rating is based on it’s weight class, so any of these will fare better than a vehicle that weighs less with similar ratings. ie. That 6500 lb pickup with a 3 star rating is still going to crush the living SHIZNIT out of a five star rated VW or Scion.