Ingenious Design And Technology Help New Ford B-max Protect Occupants And Pedestrians

“Maintaining occupant safety and delivering all the benefits of the Ford Easy Access Door System was a key objective for us,” said Klaus-Peter Tamm, chief programme engineer, Ford of Europe. “The development team used innovative engineering solutions – and filed multiple patent applications – in the development of this unique car.”

Key features of the all-new B-MAX include the following:

High strength steel
Front and rear doors are reinforced with ultra-high-strength boron steel in key load-bearing areas with high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels accounting for 58 percent of the body and door structure.

In the event of a side impact, the door frames work together to absorb crash energy. In extreme instances, special crash catchers (which lock the doors together), a reinforced latch mechanism and an integrated central pillar combine to ensure the doors remain firmly attached to the roof and floor structure.

Seven airbags
Just like Fiesta, the new B-MAX offers seven state-of-the-art airbags: driver and front-seat passenger airbags, 3D Thorax side airbags, curtain airbags that run the entire length of the cabin and a driver’s knee airbag. B-MAX is the first Ford to enable deactivation of the front passenger airbag, for those carrying a rear-facing child seat, through a standard instrument panel switch.

The front seats have been specially designed with integrated seat belt and restraint systems, while the seat structure and mounting points are fabricated from high strength steels to ensure excellent crash protection . Both front seats also feature a new four-way adjustable head rest which can be moved horizontally for increased comfort and safety. The driver’s seatbelt features twin pretensioners and the rear seats are equipped with Isofix mountings for easy fitment of child seats.

Pedestrian protection
B-MAX has been carefully engineered to reduce the risk of injury to pedestrians. The cowl area, found between the hood and windscreen, has been designed to lessen the effect of head impacts by minimising hard contact points. Ford has also installed a new dual motor windscreen wiper system in B-MAX, which allows the motors and wiper mechanism to be moved away from the centre of the vehicle.

Safe and smart technologies
B-MAX will be offered with a suite of smart and safe technologies designed to help drivers avoid accidents and support them should they find themselves in an emergency situation. It will be the first Ford in Europe available with Emergency Assistance (enabled by SYNC), which assists occupants in placing a call to emergency services directly in the event of an accident, as standard and without subscription.

Ford also will offer its award-winning Active City Stop technology on B-MAX. This system monitors the road ahead and applies the brakes automatically if it detects a collision with a slow-moving or stationary vehicle in front of the car. As with all Fords, B-MAX features Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) - a braking and stability system that helps the driver maintain control of the vehicle under extreme conditions.

The all-new Ford B-MAX on sale now from £12,995 will be in UK dealerships by September.