THE SAFEST PICK-UP EVER

The all-new Ford Ranger has made motoring history by becoming the first ever pick-up to achieve a maximum 5 Star rating under the Euro NCAP crash test protocol. Ranger scored 89 per cent for overall safety – the best score ever earned by a pick-up.

This third generation model was designed and engineered by Ford Australia and marks a significant improvement over the 2 star adult occupant rating of the previous Ranger in 2008. In particular, the Ranger’s 81% pedestrian score is the highest score recorded for pick-ups tested by Euro NCAP so far and therefore sets a new standard in this area. This performance is the result of a softer and well-engineered front end, absorbing the impact energy and better protecting pedestrians. Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary General, says: ‘with such pedestrian protection the Ford Ranger is undoubtedly raising the bar of safety in the category of pick-up trucks, which had until now not proven to be the safest.’

“Vehicle safety is a core value at Ford Motor Company and these independent test results confirm that not only is Ranger the highest rated vehicle in its class, it is also one of the highest rated vehicles ever assessed by Euro NCAP,” said Stephen Odell, chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe. “No one wants to be involved in an accident but if the worst were to happen, the new Ranger is proven to provide outstanding protection to occupants of all ages as well as pedestrians."

Using sophisticated computer modelling, engineers assessed more than 9,000 virtual crash tests before any of the 110 actual vehicle crash tests or 410 system sled tests were undertaken. These virtual simulations allowed the engineers to optimise the vehicle structure and safety systems to provide the maximum levels of protection possible in a wide-range of real-world collisions. All this was achieved before any real prototype vehicle was built and subjected to crash testing.

Established in 1997 and backed by several governments, motoring, consumer and insurance organisations, Euro NCAP is the largest and most respected independent authority on crash testing in Europe. This month’s top scorers with five stars among the announced twelve new vehicles are also SUVs Audi Q3, Chevrolet Captiva and Mercedes M-Class.