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Power Shopper: The Safe Approach Can Also Be An Exciting Road
If you are in the market for a luxury automobile, you have a lot of options out there. As they say, so many choices, so little time!
by Ralph McGill Jr.
September 13, 2007
If you’re a smart, savvy woman, you might want to start your auto search with a marquee that
combines the world resources of Ford with the handcrafted tradition of Scandinavia. If it weren’t
for women, Volvo would probably not have made it in America. Back in the ’70s, the unabashedly
boxlike Volvo station wagon, with its unique-albeit dorky-appeal to safety, was enthusiastically
embraced by soccer moms everywhere. Seemed like every one came with a car-pool number in the front
and soccer booster sticker in the rear. It brought Volvo out of the import pack and firmly
established its credentials as a premier European brand.
Volvo continues to tout safety, but the dour Swedish engineers upstairs have decided that
touches of elegant design and clever conveniences combined with a few hundreds of kick pounds in
the torque were called for. Five years ago, Volvo brought on board a team of women designers, who
would review each model to ensure that female concerns were addressed. Some headrests were
redesigned to accommodate ponytail hairdos, and automatic window buttons were adjusted to avoid
broken nail tips.
Back in the ’70s, the unabashedly boxlike Volvo station
wagon, with its unique-albeit-dorky-appeal to safety, was
enthusiastically embraced by soccer moms everywhere.
Sweden’s top models
Volvo’s model line is separated into four categories: sedan, station wagon, SUV and coupe/
convertible. At the top of the sedan line, the S80 projects a quiet competence, provides scads of
power and performance, swathes its occupants with a leather-clad living space and a wordless
assurance that it’s safer that anywhere else on the road.
There are three distinctive driving modes – comfort, sport or advanced. Whatever is chosen,
the system monitors the car, road and driver 500 times per second, simultaneously adjusting each
shock absorber to maintain peak handling.
But, it’s a Volvo, so let’s talk about safety. It has a new side-impact protection system
that provides better protection in a side crash by absorbing the maximum impact where the body is
most fragile. A whiplash protection system reduces long-term whiplash injuries by having a wire
framework on the front seats that helps the occupant from being pushed back. The seat glides back
to absorb energy, and upward and forward to embrace the back and neck. Finally, it tips back to
cushion the head. In addition, Volvo has added new safety features to protect you in a crash with
heavier vehicles.
The first impressions while walking up to the Volvo S80 aren’t always the best. While
undeniably a large car, it has been de-boxed and reconfigured into something that looks pretty much
like every Japanese sedan on the block. Slip behind the wheel, and the car just feels large – like
being Alice in Wonderland.
But eventually the positives come streaming into awareness, and the car really starts to grow
on you. The headliner soars overhead like the ceiling in a super dome. Big enough to accommodate
six members of the musical “Hairspray” at full hair height. Multidirectional automatic seats can be
configured so the vertically challenged can bring themselves up and over the steering wheel.
Rear-seat passengers report that considerable care was given to ergonomic needs of back-seaters. It
is possible to sit in the backseat for a 12-hour ride without cramp or complaint. The onboard
instrumentation should be a snap to read, but beige-on-beige graphics and neutral colors everywhere
had me hugging the instrument cluster and peering quizzically into the depths of the bezel and
wishing for simple white-on-black gauges.
Starting at around $37,000, the Volvo S80 has a number of highly desirable traits, such as
its Interior Air Quality System, which monitors incoming air for unhealthy particles such as carbon
monoxide and ground-level ozone. It even closes the external air vents to keep undesirable air from
coming into the car. In addition, an active charcoal filter prevents dust, exhaust particles,
pollen and other unpleasant odors from entering the ventilation system.
Activated with the remote control, approach lighting provides reassuring interior and side
lights – ground lighting, too – when you approach your car in an unfamiliar location. As you leave
the car, it provides a similar courtesy, including the low-beam headlights to accompany you to your
door.
The security alarm monitors the doors, hood, trunk and ignition. In an emergency, the panic
button on the remote control allows you to draw attention to the vehicle if you need help. The
Personal Car Communicator combines keyless drive with an interactive communication device that fits
in the palm of your hand. Keep the PCC with you, and the car can be unlocked by merely pulling the
door handle. Start the engine by pressing a button on the dash; lock the car by pressing a button
on the door handle.
Later in the day, if you’re wondering whether you’ve locked the car, the PCC can remind you.
On your return to the Volvo S80 – within a radius of 60 to 100 yards, the PCC can provide a current
report on its status. Press the information button: A green light means it’s locked, yellow means
it’s not. A red light means the alarm has been triggered, and if it’s flashing, somebody is in your
car. In this case, thanks to the onboard heartbeat sensor, you’ve got advanced warning and an
opportunity to evaluate the situation safely.
Around town, the four-wheel drive and peppy engine provided a properly padded ride
experience. The radio is a big boomy package from Ford’s luxury division that delivers solid output
at highway speeds and thunderstorm interference levels.
