BRENTWOOD, Essex, UK, Nov 27, 2013 – The all-new Ford Tourneo Connect is the first compact people mover to be awarded the maximum five-star safety rating by independent crash test authority, Euro NCAP.
The versatile Ford Tourneo Connect achieved a score of 94 per cent for adult occupant protection, 85 per cent for child occupant protection, and 83 per cent overall.
The maximum rating achieved by the Ford Tourneo Connect follows the first-in-class, five-star safety rating for the larger Ford Tourneo Custom people mover, which remains the only vehicle in its class to earn five stars.
"The Tourneo Connect gives active families the space and versatility they need to live life to the full," said Stephen Lesh, Tourneo Connect chief program engineer, Ford of Europe. "This significant endorsement from Euro NCAP shows that we know how important safety is for our customers too."
The all-new Ford Tourneo Connect people mover has been engineered to deliver outstanding occupant and pedestrian protection in all accident situations. Based on the same Ford global vehicle platform shared with other five-star rated vehicles like the Focus, C-MAX and new Kuga, the all-new vehicle was subjected to more than 100 full-vehicle crash tests and in excess of 10,000 computer simulated tests.
The driver and passengers are protected by an immensely strong steel body, with 53 per cent of the structure built from high strength and ultra-high strength steels, including 16 per cent ultra-high strength boron steel.
Ford offers a comprehensive restraint system as standard on the Tourneo Connect, including driver, passenger and side airbags at the front, and curtain airbags in the front and rear. The vehicle offers ISOFIX mounting points on the two outer second row seats, which Euro NCAP scored at 100 per cent for the ease of installing a child safety seat.
The new Tourneo Connect is also engineered with a comprehensive range of features in the front of the vehicle to reduce the risk of injury to pedestrians, including innovative designs of the bonnet, windscreen and instrument panel to minimise the risk of head injuries.
Segment-first features offered by the Ford Tourneo Connect to enhance occupant safety and well-being include Active City Stop, designed to help motorists avoid low speed collisions with stationary or slower moving traffic in front; and Ford's voice-activated, in-car connectivity system, SYNC, with Emergency Assistance, which can assist the occupants to call for help in the event of a crash.
"The comprehensive package which includes a driver-set speed assistance system, standard seatbelt reminders on the front seats and the low-speed autonomous braking system Active City Stop, makes the Tourneo Connect an attractive offering for safety-minded drivers," said Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general, Euro NCAP.
Source: Ford UK