High tech gadgetry, comfortable ride mark new Swedish crossover

Talk safety, and it's right up Volvo's wheelhorse.

Consider the Volvo XC60, a five-passenger, crossover sport-utility that's new for the 2010 model year.

Need to brake hard, and the anti-lock system kicks in. Feel a skid, and stability and traction control takes over. Crash, and six sets of airbags go off. If there's a danger of tipping over, the roll stability system engages.

Sure, other cars have some of these features, and a few may have all of them. But Volvo is first with what it calls City Safety an anti-collision system in traffic: it applies brakes automatically when an accident is imminent at speeds of 20 mph or less.

Volvo thinks so much of the system that it scheduled a special event for customers and prospective consumers earlier this month to show off City Safety and other features.

Of note, all those high-tech aids are standard on the XC60, which has a base price of $37,200.

More is available as extras. There's a warning device when a car is in the driver's blind spot, cameras that give a clear view of what's behind when backing up and a collision warning and auto brake system at highway speeds.

In high-teching the XC60, the carmaker didn't stop with driver and passenger protections. There are creature comforts, too.

The cargo door opens electronically. Front seats are eight-way power adjustable. The starter is push-button. An optional "Personal Car Communicator" helps you locate your car anywhere, check on its status and determine if anyone is in the car, such as a burglar.

Volvo designed the XC60 as a smaller alternative to its seven-seater. It should attract a broad mix of customers, said Damon Delaney, sales associate at Volvo of Charleston part of the Hendrick group on Savannah Highway.

"You see empty nesters with grandkids, a husband and wife with one child (who) doesn't need a seven-passenger," he said.

Powered by a turbocharged six-cylinder engine boasting 281 hp, the crossover still posts 22 miles per gallon gas mileage on the highway and 16 mpg city.

"It's very economical," Delaney said.

In driving a well-equipped XC60, you get the feeling that Volvo has touched on the automotive future. Thanks to computer wizardry, cars will continue to be safer; people inside will get more decision-making information such as with the blind spot equipment; and they will be able to open, start and adjust most anything with a tap of a button or twist of a knob.

At the same time, the carmaker went more compact and fuel efficient with the two-row XC60, although the engine is beefed up some.

The result is a user-friendly car, with comfortable leather seats, decent handling, more than adequate pickup and limited road noise. The sound system is smooth. The navigation screen is a bit clumsy but workable once the user figures it out.

If the XC60 has a problem, it's the price and competition. Add a few options, and the car can easily top $40,000. The test model was priced at $47,760.

Many carmakers have revamped or brought out five-passenger crossovers at similar, if not lower, costs.

Also, as an innovator with the XC60, Volvo may want to revisit some of the gadgets. The Blind Spot Information System signals with a light near the rearview mirror when a car is moving up on the left or right. It's effective and accurate but almost a redundancy: the driver probably is going to look around to change lanes anyway.

But most devices were smart and practical. The sport-utility activates a lane departure warning when the vehicle wanders over the center line at speeds above 40 mph. That feature can be a safety tool, if say, you are dozing off at the wheel.

In a way, the XC60 is like a baseball player who has "all the tools run, hit, field." It's just putting them all together. Volvo is clearly on the right path.

Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com

VOLVO XC 60

Type: Five-passenger crossover sport-utility.

Price: $37,200-$50,000.

Engine: 3.0 liter, turbocharged in-line six cylinder producing 281 hp.

Drive: All-wheel-drive, six-speed automatic transmission.

Fuel economy: 16 miles per gallon city, 22 mpg highway.

Safety (all standard): Anti-lock brakes, driver and passenger dual threshold and side impact air bags, Dynamic Stability and Traction Control, City Safety slow-speed anti-collision system, Roll Stability Control.

Standard perks: Bluetooth hands-free communications capability; High Definition, Sirius satellite radio; leather seats; panorama moonroof with sun shade; three-way split folding rear seat; lockable understorage and cargo areas; pollen filter; 18-inch alloy wheels.

Options: Blind Spot Information System, dual-screen Rear Seat Entertainment, navigation system with real-time traffic and rear park assist cameras, wood interior trim.