Brussels, Belgium - After the unpleasant surprise of its earlier two-star rating, Ford has gone back to the Euro NCAP crash test centre with the facelifted Ford Mustang for a re-assessment.
Firstly, it has a new driver’s side airbag which holds its shape for longer before deflating - the original version deflated so fast that the crash test dummy’s head contacted the steering wheel during some of the tests.
Secondly, standard equipment for the Mustang now includes pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking and lane-keeping assist, each of which is worth a few more points.
The bottom line is that Ford’s Pony Car now rates three Euro NCAP stars - not great, but better than two, and the boffins had good things to say about the speed with which Ford reacted to the original unfavourable rating.
The facelifted Ford Mustang is available to order in Europe and the UK from July 2017; no date has yet been set for its SA launch, but we are assured that it will have all the safety upgrades when it does arrive in South Africa.