The XC60 is touted as Volvo’s safest vehicle ever and even at the lower end of the price spectrum, safety features abound. Included is Volvo’s City Safety low-speed collision avoidance/ mitigation system. Volvo points out that three-quarters of all collisions occur at speeds below 30 km/h and in 50 per cent of those collisions, the driver takes no action to brake or steer away to avoid the collision.

With City Safety, a laser sensor in the windshield calculates the closing rate between the vehicle and the one in front. If a collision is imminent at speeds under 30 km/h and the driver takes no action, City Safety automatically activates up to 50 per cent braking power.

At speeds under 15 km/h it’s possible to avoid the collision entirely. Between 15 and 30 km/h, the goal is to reduce speed as much as possible prior to the collision.

Other safety features on this XC60 included four-wheel anti-lock (ABS) brakes, electronic brake distribution (EBD), stability and traction control, six air bags, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), fog lights and headlamp washers. A pretty impressive array of features but what else would you expect from a company like Volvo that has built its reputation on safety.

At $44,495, the XC60 I tested fits in the price range of many more families than the loaded model I drove just a year ago.

Read the full review on BC local news

Autos · Brake · Business · City Safety · Makes and Models · Recreation · Volvo · VolvoXc60

Highlights from a 2010 Volvo XC60 review coming from Auto Scraze:
First up, Volvo has always made major emphasis on safety features. That is why in practically every Volvo car; you will find features like safety cages, three-point seatbelts, and even child door locks. In the 2010 Volvo XC60, much has not changed in respect to safety. Volvo has taken major advantage of electronics to give you high-tech safety solutions – there is distance alert system, and also City Safety – which means that the brakes are automatically put on if a low-speed collision seems likely.
The car is great to drive on city streets, because the maneuvers are pretty darn easy. There is a fantastic blind spot warning system available – which turns on a warning light if another car happens to be in the XC60’s blind spot on either side. This is really beneficial when it comes to city and freeway traffic. City Safety, as mentioned before, is the signature feature of the XC60.
There is a lane departure warning system – which works pretty well on this car. If you let the car drift over a lane line, or change lanes without signaling appropriately, the system warns you with a continuous beeping sound. You should definitely try out the adaptive cruise control – which is another feature of the Technology package. This feature uses forward-facing radar to detect vehicles in the lane ahead, and then reduces the speed of the XC60 to match the other vehicles’ speed.

Automobile · Autos · City Safety · Makes and Models · Recreation · Seat belt · Volvo · VolvoXc60

Given Volvo’s reputation for safety, when the company calls its new XC60 the safest Volvo yet, and probably the safest vehicle in the world, it’s not just hyperbole. It should be a serious consideration when out shopping. Impact test data was not available at the time of this review, but if a crash test dummy could ‘come to its sensors’ it should try to get in line for the XC60 test that day.

Volvo has rolled out the XC60 for 2010 to stake its share in the extremely popular small luxury crossover SUV segment, taking on the BMW X3 and much newer Audi Q5 and Mercedes GLK, among many, many others. Safety being in its DNA, this part of the XC60 story starts with the very steel used to make it and body structure that employs collision management to distribute energy. The very shape and flush elements of the energy absorbing front-end reduces the severity of impact with pedestrians and cyclists. Bumpers that match the height of lower car bumpers negate bigger than usual fender bender bills, and the transversely mounted engine will be less likely to penetrate the passenger cabin in a front-end collision. The XC60, of course, comes with a full complement of multi-stage front and side curtain airbags. We are talking about the company that invented the side airbag, not to mention the single most important advancement in automotive safety – the three-point seatbelt. Fifty years later, the XC60 boasts another nifty Volvo first. It stops itself!

The City Safety system is born out of these statistics. Seventy-five percent of crashes occur at speeds under 30 km/h, and half of those are because of distraction, where the driver did not brake at all! Behind the rear-view mirror on the XC60 is a laser that scans for objects 6 metres ahead. Based on the distance to any vehicle or object and your speed, the system calculates braking forces needed to avoid collision. If you exceed that threshold by, you guessed it, NOT hitting the brakes or not pressing down on the peddle hard enough, the system takes over. The City Safety system does not promise to avoid collision, but even if there is contact the severity of the crash will be reduced significantly. There are some limitations, however, like snow and ice covering the laser. In addition, that laser is best at reading reflective objects like a car, so don’t plough through your flat beige garage door showing off this cool new feature to your neighbor.

Despite its 2,774-mm (109.2-inch) wheelbase the XC60 provides a lot of leg and cargo volume at 1,907 litres (67.3 cu ft). Built-in two-stage booster seats are a very nice feature, too. XC, of course, stands for cross-country, and the XC60 provides ample ground clearance of 230 mm (9.0 inches) for off-road use. It does not offer lower gearing, however, because at its heart it is a luxury family mover.

Read the full review on Autos Canada

Airbag · Audi Q5 · Automobile · BMW X3 · City Safety · Crossover · Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class · Traffic collision