Month: January 2015

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Slip Sliding Away In A Volvo – But All You Need To Know Is That The XC60 Has A Heated Steering Wheel!…

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Yes, as you can see, the trip down the village lane took on an extra dimension this morning. All I can say is thank God I wasn’t in a rear-wheel drive BMW (why are they so bad in the snow?).

The hill is far steeper than it looks but it’s the kind of morning when smug people in SUVs just love to rub road salt into your two-wheel drive only wounds.

Of course, not all the school run mums have worked out that four-wheel drive can still come unstuck on ice. You could have six-wheel drive and still slide off the road by travelling too fast. I’ve never seen a Ford Kuga on its roof before. Still no improvement on the styling…

So today I was one of the smug few. Even on standard road tyres the XC60 has more than enough traction and ground clearance to do the job.

Oh and it also has the ultimate cold weather solution – a heated steering wheel. Bliss….

 

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Volvo XC60 – Now You Can Stay On High Beam ALL The Time And Not Bling Oncoming Drivers…

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Weird as it might sound, Volvo has developed a headlight system that allows you to drive on full beam all the time – even when there is another car approaching.

Active High Beam isn’t a pipe dream – it’s already fitted to various Volvos, including the XC60 we’re driving this week.

How does it work? Well, the headlights stay on high beam even when another car is approaching but the system prevents dazzle by only shading out as much of your beam as necessary.

It also recognises pedestrians and cyclists, so they aren’t blinded either (although it doesn’t always work for those on foot, or cyclists without lights in our experience!).

The system takes a little getting used to because you instantly want to dip when another vehicle approaches and you can still see ‘high beam’ all around their car. However, I soon got used to it.

The perfect lighting solution? Hmm, the only bugger is that you can’t easily flash oncoming drivers who haven’t dipped their headlights and blind you. Solve that one Volvo!

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Volvo XC60 – Not A Car For Will Self But Perfect For Family Man

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I keep wondering what Wilf Self would make of the family-orientated XC60. The acerbic writer has been presenting a programme on Radio 4 about walking around the large harden collider at Cern, near Geneva.

If ever there was a man designed to drive a cool, old Mercedes saloon, it is Self. I could more imagine him flying a space shuttle than helming a Volvo (although an ancient estate might fit the bill too).

There is nothing cool about the XC60 – even with the 20-inch Ixion alloy wheels fitted to out test car. Not even the red paintwork raises it above ‘normal’.

But what the XC60 does have is all the qualities required in a family SUV. All-wheel drive, a huge boot and every conceivable piece of safety equipment.

So, if you’re an aspiring Wilf Self buy an old Mercedes. The rest of us might prefer a rock steady Volvo…

 

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Volvo XC60 -What’s Bigger, And Audi Q3 Or A Volvo XC60?

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It’s not an illusion – cars have grown bigger over the last few decades. A 1980s VW Golf looks tiny next to the modern version – suddenly size matters.

I parked the XC60 by an Audi today and was convinced it was the medium-sized Q5 SUV. It turned out to be the Q3, although it was virtually the same size as the Volvo.

Looking at the XC60 parked outside now, I still can’t tell you whether it’s a big car or not. It is compact yet the Volvo could easily cope with a family of five and all their luggage.

Perhaps the motor industry will build smaller cars again in the future. I’m all for downsizing but we now expect our ‘lifestyle’ vehicles to do everything. And that usually means bigger is much better…

 

 

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Volvo XC60 – What To Do When Your Car Rolls Away Down A Hill…

134846_volvo_xc60_r_design.jpgWasn’t it bad boy footballer Mario Balotelli who said ‘why always me?’

Why is it only the XC60 that rolls away from me when I fail to engage the handbrake properly?

I’m 51 and have always driven with a proper, hand-operated brake – or a stick that between the front two seats. I’m getting used to electronic park brakes but still believe they aren’t as user-friendly as the old system.

And for some reason, I seem to have most problems with Volvos. You have to push a button under the dashboard to engage the brake, and pull it to release. That seems a little back to front to me – shouldn’t it be the other way around?

So as the XC60 slowly started to run away from me today, gently heading down a farm track, I had to jump in and hit the brake pedal hard.

Hill starts are a nightmare. I guess you get used to it but can somebody explain to me exactly what the benefits of an electronic system are?

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Volvo XC60 – Spacious & Classy But Passion Red Might Be A Little Wild For Volvo Drivers!

 

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Spacious and classy, the XC60 is a machine that Volvo fans could only have dreamt about back in the 1990s. In fact it’s weird to think the manufacturer only started making four-wheel drive cars about 11 years ago.

Now with a line-up that includes the all-new XC90 and assorted other soft-roaders, there seem to be more Volvo 4x4s than standard models out there.

After stepping out of the V70, the XC60 feels much more up-to-date and refined. The D4 engine is smooth and quiet and is already returning 36mpg, despite power going to all four wheels.

It also has amazing front seats, big and comfy with lots of support. Less impressive is the six-speed manual gearbox. After the V70’s slick auto box, it feels pretty clunky…

 

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Volvo V70 – It Has Every Safety Device Known To Man But Hill-Starts Are Damn Near Impossible…

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Remember the enormous Volvo 245 back in the 1970s? In those days, a big bumper was all we needed to keep us from harm’s way. Or so the Swedes thought…

Almost 40 years on and the current Volvo estate has an array of safety features that is truly mind-boggling. In fact, it’s somewhat overwhelming in the V70, with alarm chimes and lights waiting to flash at the driver from all directions.

There are blind spot alerts by the door mirrors, anti-collision warning lights at the bottom of the windscreen that are triggered by radar, a gentle buzzing sound if you cross a white line without indicating… and so the list goes on and on.

If you are unlucky enough to hit a stray elk this winter then this is the car to do it in. Just one thing though, hill starts are damn near impossible in the V70 because it has a push button hand-brake. Not sure how that one slipped through the safety net…

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Volvo V70 – The Benchmark Estate For People In Sensible Jumpers

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Despite the success of the outgoing XC90 in giving Volvo a sexy, new image, if you asked somebody to draw a Swedish car they would no doubt pen a V70.

Big, boxy and very safe, the Volvo can quite rightly claim the ‘iconic’ tag in the estate sector. It ain’t pretty but is there a better family car for the money?

No amount of advertising twaddle is going to persuade potential buyers that the V70 is exciting but after two weeks of ownership even I have slipped in to a rather safe and Swedish comfort zone.

I doubt owners of German estate cars could be tempted to go Volvo at any price but as a rock solid estate wagon, this is the benchmark car for people in sensible jumpers.

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Volvo V70 – Of Mice And Volvos… Naked Dash In Pursuit Of Rodent Kicks Off New Year

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So where were you at 5am this morning – hugging a bottle of vodka, repeatedly telling your best mate you love them more than football, or trying to find a way home through the debris of New Year’s Eve?

New Year kicked off with a mouse entering the Taylor household – scrabbling around the bedroom and making as much noise as a rat wearing hobnail boots. Terrifying when you are nursing a hangover, especially for the mouse as I was stark bollock naked.

And just to cap it all, the dog decided this was a good time to enter the room and throw up on the stairs. A good moment to consider a hasty retreat and decamping to the V70 perhaps?

It’s certainly long enough to stretch out in the back with the rear seats folded down. It also has an integral dog guard that rises out of the seats and connects to the roof, as well as a clever system that allows you hook carrier bags upright in the boot.

It would also make the perfect weekend retreat for any mouse or errant rodent but let’s not go there…