Ford Explorer and Mustang Mach-E Reach Top Rating from IIHS
Photo Source: Ford
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is judging the outcomes of its 2023 crash test, and both the Ford Explorer and the Ford Mustang Mach-E received Top Safety Pick ratings. Notably, only four of the midsize SUVs tested out of the thirteen qualified managed to obtain overall ‘good’ ratings, and the Blue Oval vehicles were among them. The IIHS has stated that the lineup of SUVs is found to have insufficient front crash protection for passengers seated in the rear. Also of interest is that the Mustang Mach-E proved to be the only midsize SUV to earn top marks in every IIHS crash category. IIHS president David Harkey detailed the matter further: “While drivers receive the safest protections, only a handful extend that level of safety to the back seat.”
An explanation for More Difficult IIHS Safety Tests
Managing inadequacies in rear seat safety allows for the opportunity to acquire much in a relatively short time because solutions that have already displayed success in the front seats can also swiftly and efficiently be accommodated for the rear seats. Even though there were only four good ratings in the latest round of testing, those ratings demonstrate an understanding of security on the part of certain carmakers. For example, Jim Baumbick, vice president of Ford Product Development and Quality, clearly claimed, “Safety and quality are two of our top priorities. This recognition from IIHS for Mustang Mach-E and Explorer has reaffirmed that we’re focused in the right places to help improve our customers’ lives.”
Recently, as showcased by the stern conditions, the IIHS has been paying greater attention to rear passenger protection, going so far as to call the newly fine-tuned evaluation “IIHS 2.0.” For greater clarity on the obstacles that midsize SUVs now have to traverse, there are specific metrics results that the IIHS is currently focusing on. They revolve around sensors housed in the test dummy’s head, neck, chest, abdomen, and thigh.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety testing has also included new tests for pedestrian crash prevention and side crash protection. Its headlight tests have grown more stringent, too. Favorably, however, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, when equipped with particular headlights, and the Ford Explorer can both meet those requirements seamlessly. Essentially, part of the reason for the more rigorous assessments is that in 2022 traffic fatalities jumped the highest in 20 years. Moreover, pedestrian crashes make up a more significant part of that increase than in the past. So far, the same good rating applies to all Mustang Mach-Es since it premiered and the 2022-23 Ford Explorer. To garner these consistently excellent evaluation results, the company depends on seat belts with pretensioners and load-limiting technology in both the first and second rows.
Distinctions between the 2022 and 2023 Model Years
Ford has had no issues sustaining its rank within the top-tier IIHS rating, but the same cannot be said for the automotive industry in general. For instance, the 2023 testing rated only twenty-eight vehicles with a Top Safety Pick+ rating. That number had declined significantly since 2022, when sixty-five vehicles formed part of this category. Similarly, only twenty automobiles attained the Top Safety Pick rating, an exponential dip from thirty-six in 2022. The IIHS is certainly fearless in limiting the number of winners if it means challenging carmakers to improve upon the praiseworthy accomplishments they have already made.
Ford has been monitoring its strengths, as its SUV sales so far in 2023 have made it America’s top-selling SUV brand, with Explorer earning the title as America’s best-selling three-row midsize SUV. Furthermore, Mustang Mach-E was the second-best-selling electric SUV in 2022. If safety takes precedence for you, then Sunrise Ford is the place to be. Are you excited about getting a new car? So are we. In fact, we are more than excited to help our customers; we are thrilled. Are you looking for a new option to buy or lease? Take a look at our new vehicle inventory or our quality pre-owned vehicles.