Ford has earned more “Top Safety Pick” ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) than any other automaker with a total of 16 to date.
Ford surpassed its closest rival Honda this week when four of its 2009 models — Ford Flex, Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKS and Mercury Milan — achieved “Top Safety Pick” ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
The Flex, Ford’s all-new head-turning crossover, the new Lincoln MKS full-size flagship sedan and the Fusion and Milan midsize sedans build on the company’s safety leadership. Ford also has more 5-star government crash test ratings than any other automaker.
“Leading the industry in ‘Top Safety Picks’ is great news, because IIHS tests are some of the most demanding conducted outside of our own laboratories, and customers are increasingly relying on them when choosing a new vehicle,” said Susan Cischke, Ford’s group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering.
To earn IIHS’s “Top Safety Pick,” vehicles must earn the top “good” ratings in the institute’s high-speed front and side crash tests, and a rear crash test simulation that evaluates seat and head restraints. An added requirement since 2007 is that vehicles also must offer electronic stability control.
Flex, MKS, Fusion and Milan excelled in each of the institute’s crash tests, and AdvanceTrac(R) electronic stability control is available for each vehicle. The safety system uses sensors to detect and measure yaw, or side-to-side skidding conditions, by monitoring the vehicle’s speed, throttle position and steering wheel angle. When AdvanceTrac(R) senses wheel slip, engine torque is reduced and braking is applied where needed to help the driver keep the car tracking on its intended path. IIHS has stated that “AdvanceTrac significantly reduces crash risk by helping drivers maintain control of their vehicles during emergency maneuvers.”
IIHS said “Top Safety Pick” vehicles are “at the head of the class for safety,” and recognizing them as such “helps consumers distinguish the best overall choices without having to sort through multiple test results.”
Structural Strength Is a Safety Fundamental
Flex, MKS, Fusion and Milan get some of their core strength from the use of lightweight aluminum-coated boron steel — one of the strongest weld-able materials — in the body structure. The use of high-strength steel in the B-pillars is only part of their robust safety profile. Ford engineers also located the side door intrusion beams to help manage and absorb energy during side impact crashes.
“Flex and MKS are built on a platform that has a tremendous safety heritage — one that it shares with the 2009 Ford Taurus, rated America’s safest full-size car,” said Steve Kozak, Ford’s chief engineer for safety systems. “And Fusion and Milan prove that a high level of safety can come in a midsize package.”
In addition to electronic stability control and anti-lock brakes, standard safety features on Flex, MKS, Fusion and Milan include:
– Six Standard Air Bags and Ford’s Personal Safety System(R): Safety features include six air bags (dual-stage driver and front-passenger air bags, thorax side air bags for front-seat occupants and side-impact air curtains), safety belt pretensioners, seat weight-sensing system for the front passenger seat and crash-severity sensing.
– Ford’s BeltMinder(R), a safety belt reminder technology for the driver and front passenger that takes over after the initial safety belt reminder stops chiming.
– LATCH: The Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren system provides convenient mounting points for compatible child seats.
– Tire Pressure Monitoring System: This system warns a driver if one or more tires are underinflated. An active pressure sensor with a radio transmitter is mounted inside each tire. A receiver in the vehicle monitors each transmitter, and if tire pressure is not within specific limits, it will activate a visual warning light.
Other key safety features on select models include:
– Adaptive Collapsible Steering Column — In an impact, the column will collapse, dependent on the weight and belted status of the driver.
– Safety Canopy(R) — Ford’s exclusive side impact protection system features side curtain air bags that help protect front and rear outboard passengers in both rollovers and side impact crashes.
“Safety is a top purchase consideration, second only to fuel efficiency, so the top safety ratings and competitive fuel economy of Flex, MKS, Fusion and Milan are a winning combination,” said Michael Crowley, North America car and crossover marketing manager, Ford Motor Company.
Even More Technology Works in Customers’ Favor
MKS also can help drivers avoid problems on the road.
The new SIRIUS(R) Travel Link(TM) feature, praised for helping motorists find the cheapest gas, also can help route them around congested, potentially dangerous conditions using the vehicle’s navigation system with real-time traffic information, available in select markets.
SYNC(R), Ford’s hands-free connectivity system for Bluetooth-enabled phones and digital music players, helps drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel to reduce distractions.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 229,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com .

Lincoln used to be known for what we called “land yachts”. You know, those massive Continentals from the ‘60s and 70s that floated down the road with little road feel and slightly more control from the steering wheel than a rudder on a Hatteras Yacht. They tried to change their image with better product in the latter part of the century be outside of gaudy SUVs, the younger buyers didn’t even consider a Lincoln. With the introduction of the new 2009 MKS ( base prices: $37,655 for a four-wheel drive; $39,655 for an all-wheel drive. Photo courtesy of Lincoln. ) , Lincoln hopes to attract younger buyers with a new brand image that went to boarding school in Europe and got a new wardrobe and driving manners along the way.

Lusciously Lincoln

The first thing you notice when you approach the new 2009 Lincoln MKS is that it doesn’t really look like a Lincoln at all. It has strong European styling cues ( the taillights look like they came from a Quattroporte ) and is seems shorter than its predecessors. It is tall and substantial with clean understated sides adorned by distinctive styling cues front and rear.

If you took the Lincoln emblem off the front and back it would be a challenge to identify the brand—and that is a good thing. With the Lincoln design team launching the MKS as the first example of their new design language, they needed more than a simple evolution. Truth be known, the new MKS has a lot in common with Lincolns of yore—just not ones that their target market will be familiar with. The double-wing grille that forms the face of the Lincoln is heavily inspired by a 1941 Lincoln Continental ( think the grandfather of the car in Entourage ) .