Modern Muscle Cars Aren’t Quite As Safe As You’d Think
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 hurts
This is actually footage from a cars and coffee event
just like the old days, after a head on you’ll have the engine block on your lap
lol, Challenger wins for using the most plastic.
And they say plastic bumpers help in crashes….
So is the corvette just not a muscle car anymore?
It never ways.
Its actually a two-seater sportscar. Just because its American and has a shouty V8, doesn’t make it a muscle car.
“The 2016 Dodge Challenger was not up to the challenge” Did everyone miss this? XD
It doesn’t matter about the small overlap on these cars because they don’t turn, so they hit straight on
Well, if you were driving an 80s tin can, you wouldn’t mind XD