The 2010 Volvo XC60 Turbo-6 AWD! And We Like It!

Born to be safe!

It's only logical that at any given point in time there is one vehicle that offers its passengers greater protection than all the others, even if it is not quite possible to determine exactly which one that is.

Nevertheless, anytime the subject has come up in the past half-century or so, you could count on the name Volvo being suggested as a contender, if not the hands-down favorite. So, when the folk (a Swedish word, that) in Gothenburg say they've gone and built "the safest Volvo ever", it's wise to take notice. Not the safest "car", mind you, but the safest "Volvo".

That's partly because the Volvo executives are a polite bunch and don't want to ruffle the competition's feathers too much, but mostly because the 2010 XC60 T6 is a crossover, and not really a car. Nevertheless, they could probably also call it "the best looking Volvo ever" and not hear too many arguments, at least not from me.

The XC60's combination of a windswept wedge profile and shoulders wide enough to land a SAAB fighter jet on are straight off of the auto show floor. Genie bottle taillights are worthy of an exhibit in a design museum, and that doesn't even take into account the small vertical fins they create on either side of the rear window.

The marketing people at Volvo will likely tell you that they are for aerodynamic purposes, but you know there is an exterior designer somewhere with a poster of a 1959 Cadillac on his cubicle wall that grins every time they do.

The interior isn't quite as impressive, but plays to the Volvo faithful. Materials in the 5-passenger cabin are sturdy, rather than elegant. The one highlight is the optional Nordic Light Oak trim on a floating center stack that bends its way from the console to the dashboard in an oh-so-Scandinavian way.

If someone pulls in front of you, it beeps and flashes a red light on the windshield. Get drowsy and start driving erratically and the Volvo will stir you from your impending slumber with a wake-up call. All of these are options, but the marquee feature comes standard.

Called City Safety, it uses a laser mounted behind the windshield to keep an eye on things in front of you in stop and go traffic. If it senses that the vehicle you are following is slowing down, and you haven't done anything to avoid it, it will slam on the brakes on your behalf. Under 19 mph it won't bring the XC60 to a complete stop, but will slow it dramatically to lessen any impact. Under 9 mph it waits until you are about a yard away from calling the insurance company before it runs itself into a virtual wall, stopping in its tracks.

Bodily harm isn't too much of an issue when moving that slowly, but the averted fender bender is appreciated just the same. Unfortunately the owner's manual goes to great lengths to explain that City Safety is not designed to work when confronted with motorcycles, or pedestrians, two things that could really benefit from not getting run down at that speed.


EPA fuel economy rating of 16 mpg in the city, and not much more on the highway, 22 mpg. A 235 hp normally-aspirated version of the XC60 with front-wheel drive is also available for $32,395 and gets 18 mpg city/27 highway, which may be more in sync with the personality of the vehicle.

The less potent engine can also be had with all wheel drive, and both models come with City Safety, but not the leather seats that are standard in the T6. Those will set you back $1,700, meaning the turbocharged version really only costs $1,105 more than the sensible shoes edition, or about $25 bucks per horsepower.

This Volvo XC60 T6 AWD "ROCKS!"

2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD

Base Price: $41,550

As Tested: $47,800

Type: Front-engine, all-wheel drive, 5-passenger, 5-door crossover

Engine: 3.0L inline 6-cylinder

Power: 281hp, 295 lb-ft torque

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

MPG: 16 city/22 highway

"I suggest that you put this Volvo XC60 on you vehicle shopping list. I drove it, I liked it, I'd buy it!' Harry Douglas

Recorded on October 21, 2010 using a Harry Flip Video Camcorder Green. Special thanks to Cat Smith of Cat Smith Photo-Shoots.

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