Volvo V50 2007 News

The car brand trumpeted as the world's safest will catch up with the pack next month. Volvo is at last making sure every car it sells in Australia is equipped with ESP and traction control as standard. It has yet to confirm details of the ESP upgrade, including prices, though all Australian cars coming off the production line this month – which means deliveries in June once they are shipped from Sweden – will have the system. “We can confirm that dynamic stability control and traction control will be standard on all Volvo models from May production,” says Laurissa Mirabelli of Volvo Cars Australia. While Volvo is talking up its ESP upgrade, it is also working to finalise details of next year's model line-up after an upgrade last week in Europe. They should be here by October, and the all-new XC60 all-wheel-drive wagon will be the headliner. The most obvious change, on everything from the baby C30 to the C70, is a larger Volvo badge on the boot. It picks up the prominence of the badge on the XC60 and the latest mid-sized wagons. The only other change across the range, though not confirmed for Australia, is exterior mirrors that fold flat for parking. “There will be some minor changes to Volvo's MY09 line-up this year, as there is with its models every year,” Mirabelli says. “The MY09s won't be here until much later this year and we're not in a position to confirm the extent of the changes yet, given we're still going through the business case process.” She says there are only minor tweaks to the range, apart from the XC60, and nothing big on the technical front. In Europe, there are minor tweaks to nine models and one of the best is an optional system called Homelink. It uses buttons integrated into the sun visor to operate remote-controlled home appliances such as garage doors, house alarms and lighting. There is an upgrade of the optional satellite navigation on the S40 and V50, a hard load cover is now standard on all C30s and the climate control is upgraded in the C70 with the addition of the Powershift gearbox already fitted to the C30, S40 and V50. The S80 flagship gets heated washer nozzles and chronograph-style dials in the dash.  

It has also moved to create more differentiation from the V5 wagon which will more closely resemble the upcoming V70.A number of refining design cues position the Volvo S40 sedan a visual step nearer to Volvo's S80 large luxury sedan.There will be no price change and both models will get trip computers and the option of active headlights across the range.S40 gets a new colour-coordinated soft nose for a broader, lower stance.There is also a new grille with a larger Volvo Iron Mark, new headlamps and a lower air intake that sweeps across the entire front unlike the current model's three-part design.V50 also gets a new black egg-crate grille with larger Volvo Iron Mark, new headlights and three sculpted lower air intakes.The lower part of the tail lamp panel on both the S40 and V50 is 30mm higher than before and the lamps have a new graphic layout. The brake lights are now long-lasting LED and the new bumper features integrated reflectors in the lower corners.The entire lower part of the front door inside panels was redesigned to provide more space; and the audio system loudspeakers were reshaped to free space for a new, larger storage compartment with space for an A4 format book, an upright soft drinks can or a water bottle lying down. Space was also freed for an extra Dynaudio loudspeaker in the Premium Sound option.The slim centre console is available in additional decor versions such as the Nordic light oak real wood inlay.The handbrake has a more compact design, freeing up space for more storage capacity in the centre console.On the back of the console there is a flip-up holder big enough for a 1.5-litre bottle. 

A family favourite, it was noted for its reliability and longevity, especially the 200 series.Many Volvo 245 wagons can still be seen on the road even though it is years since they ceased production.“A squirt of oil, some water, a hammer to beat out rust and lots of gas that's all you need to keep a Volvo 240 going forever,” wrote Staffan Borglund, in Swedish motor magazine Teknikens Varld in 1999.The Volvo wagon celebrated its golden anniversary in 2003, marking 50 years since the launch of the first fully Volvo-built PV445 in July, 1953.But a cloud now hangs over the future of the ubiquitous family wagon, aptly nicknamed 'the brick' especially in Australia.Rumour has it that as far as we're concerned, the wagon might just have a space waiting for it in the big car park in the sky.Volvo Australia reveals it is yet to make a decision on whether to include a wagon in the new 70 series line-up.In fact, the fate of the wagon has become the subject of debate at weekly marketing meetings.The reason is that the Volvo wagon may have finally outlived its usefulness with the advent of off-roaders such as the XC90 and XC70 models.These vehicles offer the same utility as a wagon but greater versatility at the same time.Volvo Australia's Todd Hallenbeck said the debate over the wagon's future was an interesting one.He said the wagon shared the same position in Swedish culture as the Aussie ute did in ours.From this point of view alone, Mr Hallenbeck said there was a school of thought that the wagon should continue because of its historical relevance.Of course, Volvo still offers the smaller V50 wagon but it doesn't offer the kind of load-carrying capacity for which Volvo wagons are renowned.“We're still undecided on the new V70,” Mr Hallenbeck said.“It comes down to volume and the traditional V70 buyer has migrated over the past few years into the XC70.“We realise that the V70 is the stereotypical Volvo and it does have a following, but the brand and the product has moved on to the point that the V70 may not be on our model list for 2008.”To put this in context, the current V70 wagon is priced from $52,950 while its off-road sibling the XC70 costs $4000 more.Mr Hallenbeck said the price difference is not extreme.A decision to can the V70 would bring down the curtain on a significant chapter in Aussie motoring history, one that dates back to the early 1960s with the first Volvo wagon sold here, the P220 Amazon.The remarkable Amazon could carry 490kg, with a load area that measured a remarkable 1830mm in length and 1260mm across, sufficient to accommodate most standard-size wall panels. It was followed by the 145 in 1967 (series 1, 4-cylinder engine, 5 doors) and then the phenomenally successful 245 in March, 1975.It was the 245 that really cemented Volvo's reputation for building rock solid wagons. It was no looker, with its square brick-like styling, but it was safer than just about anything else on the road and, true to form, could swallow prodigious loads. In Sweden, where it was at one time the most common car on the road, it is perceived as simple, reliable, and “built like a tank”. Abroad, however, it frequently became the butt of jokes. Its owners were pigeon-holed as large middle-class families, antique dealers (to whom the huge trunk was very useful) and those with a nervous disposition about driving (due to the car's very high levels of safety).The 200 series was so successful that the arrival of the Volvo 700 series in 1982 did not see the 240 cease production, but continue to be sold alongside it until 1993. In fact, even as late in its life as 1991, just two years before the model was superseded, the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety noted that the Volvo 240 was the safest car on the US market. 

The company now has MP3 CD compatibility standard across its range, plus auxiliary inputs for MP3 players and even USB connection in some models.The first company in Australia to offer MP3-compatible CD players throughout their range was Hyundai in 2004. That means users have to burn MP3s on to CDs.However, most people now use portable MP3 players, rather than CDs.Some models in some brands offer full compatibility for iPod with track and volume selection through the car's sound system, but this means that users with other brands of MP3 players are not included.Rather than isolating some users, the easiest option is an auxiliary input jack or USB port for MP3 player connection.Users still have to select tracks on the player, but the volume is adjustable through the car's sound system and you don't have to burn CDs.Volvo Car Australia public affairs manager Todd Hallenbeck said Volvo had MP3 CD compatibility right across its range as a standard feature, but now had auxiliary ports with their high performance and premium sound systems.These are standard on all models, except S40 S, S40 D5, V50 S, V50 D5 and the coming C30 S.All XC90 models now have an auxiliary input in the centre console. Plus the XC90 has the rear audio jacks for second and third-row passengers which allows them to listen to radio, CD or MP3 independent of the front seats.All S80 models have a centre console input standard and a USB port available as an accessory.V50, C30, S40 and C70 models have the input discreetly located behind the elegant floating console with a rubber-bottomed tray so the iPod or MP3 player won't get scratched or slide around as the car is driven.However, it makes it a bit difficult for the driver to change tracks on the player.The next XC70 model will have an aux port for MP3 with a USB port as an accessory.

Improvements to the S40 sedan and V50 wagon include a power boost for the turbo petrol T5, a six-speed manual for the diesel D5, cosmetic changes and better safety features.When the new models arrive in Australia later this year, the diesel D5 will come with a six-speed manual transmission option.When the D5 was introduced here in March, it came only with a five-speed automatic transmission. The manual transmission can handle the engine's full 400Nm of torque, compared with the 350Nm of the automatic gearbox.Volvo Car Australia public relations manager Todd Hallenbeck says the first allocation of diesel variants was small but has already sold out.“The idea of a performance diesel is still very foreign in Australia; where in Europe it is a growing segment above the larger diesel segment,” he says. Meanwhile, the new turbo-charged petrol T5 S40 and V50 models will come with a 7.5kW power boost.The sedan now resembles the new Volvo S80 saloon with a more profound nose, chrome-framed egg-crate grille, clear-lens headlights, 50 per cent larger Volvo badge and one-piece air intake with fog lights.At the rear, the smaller tail lights have light emitting diode (LED) brake lights and sit 30mm higher, while the exhaust pipes are larger and integrated into the rear bodywork for a clearly sportier look.The V50 Sportswagon gets a similar restyle, but retains the three-piece front air dam.Inside, the iconic Volvo floating centre stack has new controls. The armrest is now longer, flips 180 degrees to act as a table for rear passengers, has more storage and the iPod or auxiliary input connector is now underneath.There is also a more compact handbrake and the front-door storage has been increased.Instruments have been restyled, the Premium Sound system gets the Dynaudio speakers available elsewhere in the Volvo range and a redesigned remote key fob with automatic opening and closing for all windows and sunroof. The S40 and V50's safety improvements include hazard lights which activate when airbags are deployed.