Ford Euro NCAP crash test 10/2011
01.11.2011
In the current crash test of the Euro-NCAP organization, five brand new off-roaders were also involved: Mercedes M-Class, Audi Q3 , the Fiat Freemont as a crossover, the C hevrolet Captiva and the new Ford Ranger 2012 - which is not yet available in Germany.
New Ford Ranger 2012 offers best pedestrian protection
The Euro-NCAP crash test with its well-known 'star' rating from zero to five now also evaluates other safety-relevant aspects. The pure crash safety is determined in frontal and side impacts as well as in a pole test that simulates the accident with a tree. In addition, the testers check the safety for small children in appropriate restraint systems, the relevant assistance systems such as ESP or seat belt warnings and, last but not least, pedestrian protection.
This pedestrian protection in particular is becoming more and more important in the legal requirements for car manufacturers. And that is the real sensation: Ironically, the big Ford Ranger, a highly all-terrain off-roader with reduction gear and ladder frame, puts all current test candidates in their place in this chapter. In the current crash test, not only were the SUVs mentioned, but also real market players such as the BMW 1 Series, Opel Astra and Toyota Yaris. According to the test results, the best pedestrian protection is actually offered by the new Ford Ranger with 81%. The other test subjects are far behind, even the second best (BMW 1 Series) with 63% by 14 percentage points behind the big pickup.
Ford Ranger 2012 with top scores for occupant protection
But not only for the protection of the weakestThe new Ford Ranger leaves the competition behind. When it comes to occupant protection (96%), together with the new Mercedes M-Class, it achieves the best value of all twelve models currently tested. In terms of child safety (86%), only the Hyundai Veloster (89%) did better in the current test. Only when it comes to assessing the assistance systems, the German premium SUVs are still slightly ahead - the Ford Ranger lacks a seat belt reminder for the rear seats for the same number of points. Of course, that doesn't change a full five-star rating for the new Ford Ranger, a real milestone in pickup development.
Ford Ranger the safest pickup ever
Particularly bitter that should be for Volkswagen. Because the VW Amarok, which was already measured according to the current scheme, like the Ford Ranger, a completely new development, only made it to four stars and scored significantly worse, particularly in terms of pedestrian protection and child safety. The ratings of the pickup models tested in 2008 are not exactly comparable. At that time, the Mitsubishi L200 was the best pickup with four stars. The former Ford Ranger received just two stars. The Isuzu D-Max conquered one star, the performance of the Nissan Navara is legendary: due to faulty airbag software, it ended the first test with zero stars, then got three stars in the second test with revised software.
The new Ford Ranger was developed for the global market, with Ford Australia taking on the major development work. The new Ford Ranger is not only being built in the Thai joint plant with Mazda as before. The Europeans will in future get their contingent of Ford pickups from a new South African plant.
In our photo show we show you the individual evaluations in detail and the other currently tested SUVs with the respective results.
