Volvo XC60

11:48am Friday 14th November 2008

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THIS was like no other road test I had ever contemplated. Volvo was asking me to drive its latest car, the XC60, into the vehicle in front – with my eyes shut.

So with a leap of faith I set the accelerator to crawl along at 15mph and braced myself. Seconds later the car was brought to a halt by the City Safety feature, a world-first which recognises when a crash is imminent.

I tried it again, this time looking to the right instead of straight ahead to simulate the actions of a driver about to enter a roundabout and not realising that the car in front had come to an unexpected halt. Again, the brakes were applied and both me and the XC60 were still in one piece.

It’s a remarkable piece of technology and comes as standard equipment with this, Volvo’s long-overdue entry into the premium compact SUV sector.

It works through a set of lasers fixed to the windscreen behind the rear view mirror that monitor the road six metres ahead.

At speeds below 20mph, if it detects that you might be about to drive up the backside of the car in front it will brake automatically. Not only this, if you are travelling at ten mph and the vehicle in front is stationary, a collision can be avoided.

This is all very clever, but what if I am trying to park the thing. No problem, because City Safety recognises the difference between when you are in control and when you are distracted. How clever is that?

The motor industry has provided us with many gadgets in the past few years to make us safer.

If your wallet will stretch to it, you can now buy stuff that will help you to park (or even park the car for you), make sure you don’t miss a car travelling past in your “blind spot” or even give you an electronic ticking-off if you wandering across a lane.

There are headlamps that adjust to light up bits of country road that previously would have been merely black holes inhabited by scared hedgehogs, and even sensors to warn of pedestrians in the distance.

That’s not to mention stuff like cruise control, crash-resistant body shells, electric handbrakes that automatically hold the vehicle on a gradient, electronic stability programmes and braking assists.

Volvo, guardians of our road safety for so long now, offers all of the above named aids to keep us out of harm’s way, yet still we all run the risk of a shunt on our clogged roads. Apparently, 93 per cent of rear-end bangs are due to driver distraction, and 75 per cent of all collisions occur in traffic moving at 20 mph or less.

Enter Volvo’s XC60, not only one of the most beautifully crafted Swedes ever to wear the company’s badge but also the safest and the one that brings this new piece of safety technology to the table.

City Safety is heralded as a remarkable piece of technology, and the forerunner of a new Volvo system due in 2010 that will spot a pedestrian running out in front and apply the brakes, but it is in danger of overshadowing the XC60, which is a super car in its own right.

Fitting below the seven-seat XC90 and estate-like XC70, it is an all-wheel drive luxury “crossover” that will match anything in its class.

The XC60 is available in all-wheel drive with a three-litre petrol engine, the superb D5 2.4-litre diesel producing 185 bhp or the less powerful 2.4D diesel ,producing 163 bhp. A 2.4D front-wheel drive version will be available next year.

I tested both the available diesel offerings along winding roads and motorways north of Edinburgh and found them both to provide a composed and comfortable drive, with the D5 only coming to the fore on the motorways, when its extra power began to tell.

The diesel offerings will account for 96 per cent of sales. That’s hardly surprising when you consider that the T6 petrol offering has CO2 emissions of 284 g/km and average fuel consumption of 23.7 mpg.

In comparison, the diesels have average fuel economy of 37.7 mpg (34 mpg for the auto) and CO2 emissions of 219 g/km.

The auto-only T6 will reach 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, with the D5 clocking in at 9.0 (9.4 auto) and the 2.4D registering 10.0 (10.4 auto).

The XC 60 certainly looks the part, screaming quality, reliabilty and sturdiness. The cabin is up to Volvo’s usual high standards, even in the entry-level S specification. It features the now trademark “floating” centre console stack, climate control, cruise control, textile upholstery, rear split seats that can be laid flat with only the pressure of one finger, steering wheel remote audio control, front fog lights, a rear spoiler, roof rails and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Step up to SE spec and the XC60 comes with hill descent control, better upholstery, chrome window trim, a power seat for the driver, auto-dimmed mirror, auto-folding door mirrors and a rain sensor.

The top-of-the-range Lux version adds a power seat for the front passenger, heated front seat, leather upholstery, active bending headlamps, heated washer nozzles, rear park assist and 18-inch alloys.

Prices range from £24,750 to £34,495, with the best seller expected to be the mid-priced D5 SE.

With residual values already expected to be the best in class, I am left with only one question for Volvo. What took you so long?

AT A GLANCE

Model: Volvo XC60

Price: £24,750 to £34,495

Engines: 2.4D and D5 diesel, T6 petrol

Transmission: Automatic and manual available, driving all four wheels