Mustang outperforms Camaro, Challenger in crash test

May 25--The Ford Mustang performed slightly better than rival muscle cars Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger in a series of crash tests conducted recently by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

While none of the three earned the institute's Top Safety Pick, which requires good or better ratings in five crashworthiness tests, the Mustang came closest.

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The Camaro fell short in one category and lacks an available front crash prevention system, also known as forward collision avoidance warning. Tests found Challenger to be "most in need of improvement."

"Given that sports cars have high crash rates, it's especially important that they offer the best occupant protection possible in a crash," said Adrian Lund, IIHS president.

This was the first time the institute compared these three models. Muscle cars as a group have the highest losses among passenger vehicles for crash damage repairs under collision coverage, according to data from the Highway Loss Data Institute.

"The current generation Mustang is our safest ever," Ford said in a statement. "In addition to coming close to earning a Top Safety Pick from IIHS, the 2016 Mustang has also earned the federal government's highest 5-star overall safety rating."

The tests were conducted on each model powered by an 8-cylinder engine.

The only test on which Mustang fell below a "good" rating was on the small overlap frontal crash. The test replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle strikes another vehicle, an object or a utility pole. In the test, 25% of a vehicle's front end on the driver side strikes a 5-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 m.p.h.

The Mustang received an acceptable rating on that test, while the Camaro was rated good.

The Challenger performed well in side impact tests, Lund said, but its structure collapsed in the small overlap front crash.

"The front wheel was forced rearward into the occupant compartment and the footwell intrusion trapped the dummy's left foot and deformed its ankle," Lund said.

The safety cage of the Camaro, which was redesigned for the 2016 model year, performed well, even better than Mustang, maintaining ample survival space for a dummy in the driver's seat.

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The Mustang received a good rating for roof strength, while the Camaro and Challenger received an "acceptable" on that factor.

In a statement, Fiat Chrysler said, "No single test determines overall vehicle safety. Our vehicles meet or exceed all applicable government safety requirements. We urge all motorists to follow all a

pplicable traffic laws and maintain control of their vehicles accordingly."

A Chevrolet spokesman declined to comment on the IIHS tests.

Contact Greg Gardner: 313-222-8762 or ggardner@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregGardner12.

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