Volvo V70 2007 News

Volvo Cars Australia has given its refreshed S80 a visual edge by making the company's R-Design package a specific model in the refreshed S80 lineup. The sassy look is just cosmetic at this stage with no engine tuning part of the enhancements.  However, full-blown factory-fitted R-Design engine performance improvements are destined for the S80 and other Volvos and are likely to replace the Heico Sportiv-inspired cars here. Initially the more driver-focused R-Design S80s will get 18-inch wheels, lowered, sports-tuned suspension, colour-matched rear spoiler, matt silver grille and exterior mirrors, and chrome exhausts.  VCA spokesperson, Laurissa Mirabelli, says R-Design is aimed at enthusiasts who now have families. "The luxury sedan segment is also so competitive the S80 needed some differentiation," she says.  C30, V70 and XC90 buyers can already specify the cosmetic R-Design enhancements, which are optional.  Prices for the 2010 S80 remain unchanged, starting at $79,950 for the D5 and twin-turbo T6, topping out at $98,950 for the V8. Adding R-Design to a D5 or T6 costs $1500 extra over the standard car and $2500 more in the V8.  Visually the 2010 changes bring the big sedan inline with the XC60 and new S60, with a new grille and larger Volvo insignia. The D5 gains a new 151kW twin-turbo diesel and adds all-wheel drive as standard, the same as the T6 and V8.  The range-topping V8 adds lane departure warning with driver alert control, blind spot information system, adaptive cruise control with collision warning and auto brake function as standard. Inside there is a new four-spoke steering wheel with deco inlay, more ergonomic switchgear and alloy cabin trim.  Like the XC models, the S80's all-wheel drive system employs a Haldex clutch to distribute power between front and rear wheels according to road and driving conditions. The system can automatically move a small amount of torque to the rear wheels when starting on slippery surfaces.  As with all Volvo's the S80 has a comprehensive active and passive safety features. The car's navigation system is now more user friendly.  Volvo is hoping for a better year with the revised S80 and expects the D5 to be popular.  Last year it sold less than 100 S80s.  The company is hoping that the R-Design will make up 50 per cent of S80 sales this year.

Volvo is about to hit the eco button with its first stop-start fuel savers as it also reveals plans for full-scale production of a plug-in hybrid with a diesel engine. Its longer term goal is to become a world leader in environmentally-friendly cars with a drive to zero emissions culminating in plug-in electric power. The C30 DRIVe model will lead Volvo's push on a zero-emission strategy and the first cars will be in showrooms in September. They have a stop- start system similar to the one already seen in the Smart ForTwo and the upcoming Land Rover Freelander II. There will eventually be a full range of DRIVe models as Volvo has produced seven for Europe, from the C30 to XC70, with CO2 emissions as low as 104grams/km. The drive DRIVe model is a C30 with a 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine that promises, with help from stop-start, fuel economy of 3.9L/100km and best-in-class CO2 emissions of 104g/km. The car also has low- rolling-resistance tyres with lowered suspension and a gearshift indicator. "At this stage, we can't confirm specification or pricing but should be in a better position to announce details around August," says Laurissa Mirabelli of Volvo Cars Australia. By 2011 the DRIVe program will see a direct-injection petrol turbo engine with fuel economy and emissions cut by up to 30 per cent as well as a next-generation micro-hybrid with stop-start. But the big breakthrough comes in 2012 with a plug-in hybrid, previewed this week in Sweden inside the body of a V70 station wagon. The plug-in Volvo is being developed in partnership with a Swedish energy company, Vattenfall. It uses a lithium-ion battery pack. "We're investing more than $1 billion on the joint venture, to investigate plug-in hybrids. They will be a reality from 2012," says Mirabelli. "Ideally, we'll also have them here within 12 months of production. The aim is economy of 1.9L/100km." Hitting those targets means using a diesel engine in the hybrid drivetrain, a move which has not been made yet by any maker. Most European brands are promising some form of diesel hybrid but, so far, the mass-market Toyota Prius and Honda Insight use petrol power. "The plug-in system takes five hours to charge and the electric range is 50 kilometre. That's on the demonstration car which is a V70," says Mirabelli.

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. 

Volvo was first to give us laminated windscreens in 1944, the lap-sash seatbelt in 1959 and the driver's airbag in 1987.It has made safety a priority for many years, often ahead of any legislative requirements to do so.Keeping up its safety push are several innovations making their way into the latest Volvos.Among them are a driver alert control (DAC) system to alert tired and inattentive drivers, a lane departure warning (LDW) system and collision warning system with automatic brake function to help prevent front-to-rear impacts.The new S80 has a collision warning system with brake support, but the auto brake system is the next step.LDW is separate to the blind-spot camera system available as an option on local Volvos.Volvo Cars Australia spokesman Todd Hallenbeck says the company has recently “become extremely focused on safety in the sense of preventive safety."Research figures show 90 per cent of all crashes are the result of drivers being distracted.The DAC system alerts the driver when concentration levels are affected, for example during long journeys. LDW and DAC are part of the same option package, called driver alert system, that was introduced in Europe on the Volvo S80, V70 and XC70 late last year.Volvo Cars Safety Centre director Ingrid Skogsmo says safety is a key philosophy for the company.“When it comes to preventive safety, we have the same approach as when we develop protective systems,” she says.“In other words, Volvo's safety research and technical development focuses on areas where new technology can create significant positive results in real-life traffic.”DAC was developed after studies showed driver fatigue was a major safety issue globally.In 1998, the Monash University Accident Research Centre found between 25 per cent and 35 per cent of fatal crashes in Australia were the result of fatigue. It says the figure could be higher in particular types of crashes, such as fatal single-vehicle semi-trailer crashes.DAC is activated at 65km/h and remains active above 60km/h. A camera, sensors and a control unit monitor driver behaviour, the camera continuously measures the distance between the car and the road lane markings. If for some reason the driver veers off the road, they are alerted via an audible signal.A text message also appears in the car's information display, where a coffee cup symbol alerts the driver to take a break.DAC works in conjunction with LDW, which Volvo believes can prevent between 30 per cent and 40 per cent of single-vehicle crashes between 70km/h and 100km/h.LDW will sound a warning chime if a driver crosses the road markings without a reason.The collision warning with auto-brake function senses an imminent impact and brakes to slow the car when the driver fails to react. 

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.