In the latest round of Euro NCAP’s crash tests, Fiat’s 500 and Ford’s all-new Ka+ scored just three out of five stars apiece. After more than 10 years on the market, the 500 was recently facelifted, but this did little to improve safety, according to a Euro NCAP report which noted poor protection for the driver and rear seat passenger. Fast forward 10 years to Ford’s brand new Ka+, which was described as offering ‘mediocre safety performance’ - lacking the more sophisticated restraint systems offered by most of its rivals, including the Citroën C3 which scored higher marks in the same tests.
Euro NCAP is its marking 20th Anniversary with a crash test comparison of two family cars built two decades apart. A 1997 Rover 100 was tested alongside the latest Honda Jazz, displaying a marked difference in crashworthiness. The Rover, with no crumple zones or safety cell seems to just disintegrate while the Honda is clearly stronger and offers multiple air bags against the Rover’s one. Euro NCAP is confident that safety advances driven by rigorous testing have helped deliver a 63% reduction in the number of car occupants killed or seriously injured.
The current Ford Mustang achieved a lowly two-star rating for overall safety in a series of recent crash tests carried out by Euro NCAP. There are concerns about its crash protection for adult and child occupants with a ‘worrying lack’ of safety equipment commonly available on the European market. Euro NCAP says the driver and passenger airbags inflated insufficiently and noted that the European Mustang does not have the US-spec Forward Collision Warning system. Ford has confirmed its forthcoming facelifted Mustang will feature upgraded safety kit as standard.
Suzuki’s new IGNIS has achieved a five star safety rating in the latest round of Euro NCAP crash tests. The range-topping SZ5, fitted with the forward facing Dual Camera Brake Support system, received two stars more than the entry-level model. It’s the first supermini to be evaluated under Euro NCAP’s new two tier system, which allows the model with the highest level of safety equipment to be tested separately. The new Suzuki IGNIS will hit showrooms in January 2017, with pricing yet to be announced.
