Just as the 2002 Ford Explorer and 2003 Ford Expedition have brought a new level of safety to the mid-size and full-size SUV segments in the region, the new Ford Mondeo is set to re-define safety packages for C/D segment passenger vehicles in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), when it arrives in October.
ABS brakes with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) to maximize handling and stability come as standard on the 2003 Mondeo, along with the optional Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), which automatically applies even braking power in an emergency to reduce stopping distances by up to a staggering 54 percent.
Ford's optional Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) – technology designed to maintain traction during extreme cornering – reacts as soon as it detects borderline traction on an individual wheel.
Launched in 1993, Mondeo was the first car in its class to provide a driver's airbag as a standard feature. Ford's Intelligent Protection System (IPS) in the all-new Mondeo builds on this impressive heritage and features a suite of integrated passive safety technologies designed to protect different human body profiles.
Dual-stage driver and passenger airbags inflate either 70 percent or completely depending on the severity of the collision, seat position, and whether the seatbelts are being worn. The occupant detection mat in the cushion of the front passenger seat de-activates the front passenger and side airbags (standard on Ghia models) if the seat is not occupied to minimize damage and repair bills.
Optional head airbags help protect front and rear seat passengers against head injuries in a side collision, while the active head restraints reduce the effects of whiplash if a vehicle hits from the rear. A hydro-formed front bumper and rear crush tubes with a high-strength steel bumper bar and a huge foam pad designed to absorb energy mean that head-on or rear collisions under 15 kilometers per hour cause next to no damage. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
