The SUV class continues to grow unabated, though the wait continues for a truly outstanding example of the ‘soft-roader’ breed.

Lexus’s latest-generation RX350 was the only contender in this year’s category that failed to secure a single vote despite its outstanding standard equipment, excellent build quality and refined V6.

Some cheap-looking interior details not befitting a circa-$100,000 vehicle was one of the RX’s undoings, though judges were also unimpressed with the average dynamics and fidgety ride.

Ride quality continues to be persistent Achilles heel for any Audis not wearing the sporty S or RS badges, and niggly progress over the test route proved to be a key negative for the A4-based Q5.

The $59,990 Q5 at least made the most of its firm suspension on twisting roads to prove it is one of the best-handling SUVs on the market. Its sweet-revving 2.0-litre turbo four also packs plenty of punch.

Less endearing to the judges, however, was a firm rear bench, oversized driver’s side mirror that obscured vision, and a cabin that seemed sparsely equipped without delving into the Q5’s list of expensive options.

Volvo’s XC60 rated highly for its family-friendly cabin (including clever integrated child booster seats) and safety (including the world’s first low-speed crash avoidance technology as standard), though the Swedish soft-roader secured a 6-3 majority by gaining plaudits in areas the company doesn’t normally excel.

Judges praised the interior’s distinctive design with its touches of Scandinavian flair, and recent updates to the D5 model’s suspension and diesel engine have also improved the XC60’s overall package.

Source: Car News Articles

Audi Q5 · Autos · Lexus · Lexus RX · Makes and Models · Recreation · Sport utility vehicle · Volvo XC60

The condition of the economy is not so good right now and everyone is looking for green solutions , low fuel consumption, hybrid cars etc. It seems Volvo doesn’t think that matters much, and have launched their new XC60 SUV. With the 5-seater, two-row SUV , Volvo is poised to increase its presence in the prestige and luxury sectors in 2010.

The XC60 demonstrates a new design approach from Volvo, going for truly organically inspired and futuristic curves. It’s outstanding on-road dynamics, Volvo’s City Safety system, and all-wheel-drive makes it a formidable contender to all its competitors. At the core is a D5 3.2 litre, six-cylinder powerhouse, which represents the pinnacle of current diesel technology with great performance, low fuel consumption and Euro 5 level emissions. The normally aspirated version puts out 175kW and 320 Nm of torque while the turbocharged version puts out 151kW and a beefy 420Nm of torque. There is also a version of the XC60 available with a 3.0 litre T6 engine putting out 210kW and 400Nm of torque.

Navigation is made easy with the Volvo Navigation System with user-friendly controls and an easy-to-read screen with a black background. Its 8.3 inches shorter than the XC70 at 182.2 inches and has an impressive 9.1 inches of ground clearance, which makes it awesome for those cross-country jaunts. The arsenal of features and sheer good looks puts it ahead of most of the competition such as the Toyota FJ Cruiser and the Ford Expedition. The SUV is priced at $32,995 for the 3.2 litre version and $37,800 for the T6 AWD version.

Source: Device Mag

Ford Expedition · Four-wheel drive · Hybrid vehicle · Makes and Models · Naturally-aspirated engine · Sport utility vehicle · Toyota FJ Cruiser · Volvo V70

In tested the Volvo XC-60 Adaptive Cruise Control:

I was in our Volvo XC60 a couple days ago for an early morning drive and found it to be an effective highway cruiser. The cabin is pretty quiet at speed, the driver seat is comfortable (though not as those in other Volvos) and the turbocharged inline-6 provides plenty of grunt for passes or when going up steep grades.

I also took the opportunity to fiddle around with the adaptive cruise control. Adaptive cruise control works by monitoring the distance of vehicles ahead of you. You just set your speed and the minimum distance gap. When the XC60′s radar sensor detects a slower vehicle within that preset range, the XC60 automatically applies its brakes to adapt to that vehicle’s speed.

Our Volvo is the only long-term car in recent memory to have this feature; it’s part of the $1,700 Technology Package. Overall, the XC60′s adaptive cruise control worked well for the two hours of driving on straight highway that I used it on. It’s not a must-have feature by any means, but it is nice in that it eliminates the traditional need to cancel and reset your cruise speed every time a slower vehicle gets in your way.

The only thing I noticed was that the XC60′s cruise-speed adjustment buttons seem to bump you up or down in 5-mph increments, which is excessive. Presumably, there’s a way to switch this back to the more normal 1-mph increment, but I didn’t have the opportunity to RTFM.

Automobile · Brake · Cruise control · Driving · Recreation · Turbocharger · Volvo Cars · Volvo XC60

Beth Gleason of Illinois and Jeannette Lee Underwood of Georgia win Volvo XC60s – just like the one Edward Cullen drives in ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’

ROCKLEIGH, N.J., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ — The Twilight Saga: New Moon comes alive for Beth Gleason, 18, of Palatine, Ill., and Jeannette Lee Underwood, 19, of Newnan, Ga., when they drive off in shiny new Volvo XC60s, just like what Edward drives in the movie, courtesy of Volvo Cars of North America. Gleason and Underwood are the winners of Volvo’s What Drives Edward online contest, as the first eligible entrants to complete all the puzzles at www.WhatDrivesEdward.com.
Close to 300,000 people from across the U.S. participated in the online contest. Given the overwhelming response, Volvo decided to give away XC60s to the first and second person to complete the game.
The XC60 giveaway was just one of Volvo’s promotions surrounding Summit’s The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Laura Beringer, 29, of Chicago, won a sweepstakes and received two tickets to the world premiere in Los Angeles. Beringer and her sister, Victoria, walked the red carpet and met members of the cast at the premiere event.

Chicago · Edward Cullen · Los Angeles · New Moon · Twilight Saga: New Moon · Victoria · Volvo · Volvo Cars of North America

The 2010 International Car of the Year Awards were given to the Ford Taurus for the car and the Volvo XC60 for the truck.

The announcement was made Wednesday at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The award had been given at the auto show in Detroit for the past 13 years.

Automotive journalists and editors chose the winners.

Auto · Automobile · Detroit · FordTaurus · LA Auto Show · Recreation · United States · Volvo XC60

Most vehicles fitted with navigation systems have some sort of disclaimer about how one shouldn’t use the navigation system while driving. A smaller percentage of cars also have warnings about their backup cameras. OK, sure, I understand that we live in a litigious society and there is a subsequent need for such things. But the warning that pops up for our 2010 Volvo XC60′s review camera display is particularly annoying.

Put the XC60 into reverse and the camera’s view pops up on the navigation screen. But the top one-fourth of the display is taken up by a legal disclaimer. This text blocks the camera’s view of what’s about to come into to the Volvo’s path. You can still see what’s directly behind you, so it’s not all bad. But for parking-lot situations where you are wondering if a car is coming down a lane, it’s just about worthless.

The warning goes away after about 5 seconds, and it only comes up the first time you put the Volvo in reverse. But the first 5 seconds is exactly when most people are actually planning on backing up, and typically you’re only putting a car in reverse one time for any given trip. The solution to all this is to just wait for the warning to go away or just not bother using the camera at all. But overall I’ve found this issue to be the most annoying on a day-to-day basis for our long-term XC60.

[source: Insideline ]

Automobile · Makes and Models · Navigation · Parking lot · Recreation · Shopping · Volvo · Volvo XC60

Volvo have this afternoon released its 2010 diesel powered line-up at a brief media gathering in Melbourne.
Featuring two new turbo-diesel engines — an all-new twin-turbo five-cylinder and a single-turbo four-cylinder — Volvo now offers an economical, low emissions diesel option for every vehicle in next year’s range, excluding XC90.

Volvo D5 Engine
The new 2.4-litre twin-turbo D5 engine has, except for its designation and in-line five-cylinder configuration, no relationship with the previous unit.
Available in XC60, XC70 and S80, the new D5 engine is mated as standard to a six-speed adaptive Geartronic transmission, driving all wheels via a Haldex All Wheel Drive system.

read the full story at caradvice

Diesel engine · Geartronic · Inline-four engine · Transmission · Volvo S80 · Volvo V70 · Volvo XC60 · Volvo XC90