2010 Volvo XC60 T6

The small luxury crossover segment promises to be one of the hottest this year. BMW pioneered the trend six long years ago with the X3. And now, the Mercedes-Benz GLK is touching down at dealers. The Audi Q5 will be in stores within a month or two as well. So in just five years, this group has swelled to six. What makes the XC60 stand apart from the crowd? Well, since it is a Volvo—inventor of the three-point seatbelt—safety, of course. Volvo says the XC60 is the safest car the company has ever produced. And considering Volvo's reputation, that's some statement.

In addition to Volvo's extensive repertoire of protection and prevention equipment—including a full complement of airbags, traction and stability controls, plus an optional blind-spot information system—the XC60 has something completely new: City Safety. It's a system that could help prevent low-speed accidents, and it comes standard. To find out how it all works we spent a few days with the XC60 on the roads around San Francisco. —Colin Ryan

Beneath the XC60's attractive sheetmetal is the 281-hp, 3.0-liter turbocharged straight Six, sending 295 lb-ft of torque to a slick six-speed automatic transmission. The power is proportioned to each wheel by a new Haldex permanent all-wheel drive system. Volvo says the XC60 can hit 60 mph in a tick over 7 seconds and return around 22 mpg on the highway.

The interior follows in Volvo's tradition of using cool Scandinavian design, mixed with clever ergonomics. The handsome "floating" center stack has a brushed aluminum face as standard, light Nordic oak as an option. Leather trim is standard and there are optional children's booster seats. Rear head- and legroom is more than adequate, while the second-row seating also folds flat into the floor for practical load space. Up above is a panoramic moonroof made of shatterproof laminated glassю

Volvo has culled through research and determined that 75 percent of all accidents occur at speeds under 19 mph—those little bumper-to-bumper nudges in traffic. These accidents may not be life threatening, but they are sometimes expensive, not to mention distressing and time-consuming. Volvo's City Safety system uses laser sensors that can detect an object up to 18 ft in front of the car and will activate the brakes automatically to avoid a collision or at least make contact less catastrophic. Potential buyers will be able to test the City Safety feature at Volvo dealers. And yes, it can be de-activated.

The XC60 will start at $37,200 when it goes on sale next month. And there is a full array of electronics: Bluetooth, iPod connectivity, satellite radio, plus the option of a swankier stereo—a 650-watt, 12-speaker version with Dolby Pro-Logic II Surround. Anyone yearning for a diesel or hybrid version will have to wait until next year—for now, this is the only XC60.

© Source: popularmechanics
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