2008 Volvo XC 90 – Still As Safe As Ever
The 2008 version of the Volvo XC 90 is a face-lift of the current Volvo XC 90, but it certainly has not lost its appeal as a family SUV since its introduction in 2002 and its subsequent launch here in 2003. A total sales number of 1,110 unit sold here until the end of 2007 puts it on the top of the heap in so far as premium SUV’s go.
The Volvo XC90 had seven seats from the very start, not like some of the other premium makes that are still running around as five-seaters, or have only recently introduced the additional row of seats behind. Of course, if you peeked inside any XC90, unless the owner had the rear-most row of seats up, you are not likely to notice them, as they fold neatly and flat to become part of the floor at the rear. The 2008 model retains this most useful and versatile feature, one that I had almost forgotten about until I took a closer look at the XC 90 at the media ride and drive event held in Putrajaya a couple of days ago.
The brand Volvo is synonymous with safety, and the XC90 has not been spared in terms of the designers loading all the safety items that Volvo has on its shelves, onto and into it. Riding much higher than cars, any SUV runs a higher risk of tipping over, and so the designers have incorporated the Volvo RSC (Roll- Stability Control) system. During a hard cornering maneuver, sensors aboard the XC90 will respond if there is a danger of the XC90 tipping over, by activating the brakes on the appropriate wheels to help prevent the vehicle from tipping over. At the same time the system also reduces torque to the wheels by automatically throttling down the engine without any input from the driver. This actually happened to me when I drove the XC90 for the first time many moons ago, and took one particular S-bend along the Karak-Mentakab trunk road. Other than the above features, the standard stuff like ABS, EBD, and a host of airbags plus side curtains are standard in every XC 90. Looking at the side members when you open the doors, you will see the SIPS label; these letters stand for the Side Impact Protection System, built into most Volvos today.
Also standard equipment is the DSTC, (Dynamic Stability & Traction Control) system; utilizing the ABS system, the DSTC applies braking to the outside wheels under conditions of oversteer to help stabilize the vehicle and minimize the chances of the rear wheels overtaking the vehicle. The traction control works when one side of any axle gets wheel spin, by applying braking to that wheel, thus transferring drive to the other side. During the test drive arranged by Volvo Cars Malaysia, we had a chance to see this in action when the XC 90 was put through a series of ‘ruts’ dug on the course so that some of the wheels get hung up in empty space; our Malaysian journalists were then able to see the ‘drive’ being transferred to the other side, thus enabling the XC90 to maintain positive traction in a situation when other vehicles would have got stuck.
Having All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) means the XC90 can get traction all the time, something very useful if the road conditions get very slippery; not that the buyer of the XC90 is ever going to subject his or her XC90 to very severe off-road conditions, but it is going to provide much better grip when it is raining cats and dogs during the monsoons we get here in this country.
The new XC90 comes with xenon lights to give improved illumination at night, and there is also the option of a navigation system, and two LCD screens located behind the front seats for passengers to watch DVDs or play games with. For ease of loading and unloading, the rear tailgate comes in a two-piece arrangement; the top opens upwards and the bottom piece can also be opened to lower the loading height.
Inside, the leather seats pamper the occupants, with plenty of legroom and head room all round. Volvos are known to have one of the most comfortable seats, and you can drive all the way from JB to Alor Star and not feel fatigued at the end of the journey. As usual, the seats split and fold in many combinations to give the XC 90 great versatility.
The engine remains the same 5-cylinder turbo-charged, 2.5 litre, 210 horsepower engine that delivers 320 NM of torque from as low as 1,500 RPM to 4,500 RPM. Transmission is a five-speed automatic with Geartronic manual shift option. On the organized media drive, there were stretches where we were able to open up the throttle wide, and although the engines were still very tight (some of the vehicles had as little as 150 kilometres on the clock) we were able to hit some decent speeds; handling was pretty decent, as the 4-wheel independent suspension was set on the comfortable side of firm. The XC 90 would be very good for long hauls with the family.
The retail price of the Volvo XC 90 is RM349k, (without insurance), maintaining the XC 90 as one of the most competitively priced premium SUV’s in the market. A diesel version is due to be introduced later on in the year.
