Volvo S60 to challenge BMW 3, Audi 4

Volvo has just launched its new S60 sedan in Australia, a vehicle designed to take on German prestige four-doors such as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series. You could probably add the non-German Lexus IS series to that list too.

Starting from $51,950, the Volvo S60 features all the latest mod cons, plenty of power from its turbocharged engines plus leather upholstery, not to mention the option of the world's most advanced collision avoidance technology.

Volvo Australia's head of PR, Laurissa Mirabelli, told the Carsales Network that the importer is predicting sales of around 125 S60 sedans per month, for a total of around 1500 units per annum.
 
The most popular model is expected to be the entry-level petrol-engined 117kW/320Nm T5 which Volvo Australia estimates will take up 55 per cent of overall sales. Next in line are the more powerful 224kW/440Nm T6 petrol rangetopper (30 per cent) and D5 151kW/420Nm turbodiesel (15 per cent) offerings.

Volvo expects its most advanced safety technologies will attract new customers to the fold, and the S60's ability to keep its occupants safe -- and also pedestrians on the road -- will play a big part in getting bums on seats.

Around 13 per cent of traffic fatalities in Australia involve pedestrians says Volvo -- about one in eight deaths. Worldwide about 15 per cent of all car-related deaths involve pedestrians, a statistic that Volvo's new 'Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and Pedestrian Detection' aims to address.

Though Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and Pedestrian Detection is not a standard feature, it's offered as a $4990 option bundled with a range of other safety features (Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist Function, Lane Departure Warning, Driver Alert Control and Blind Spot Identification System). It uses radar and video camera technology to distinguish if a human is in front of the vehicle (stationary or moving) and will automatically apply the brakes if necessary.

We trialled the system during the local media presentation this week and unlike the European launch in Italy, where the crash test dummy was hit on several occasions, the system worked flawlessly. Eight from eight runs saw the Volvo S60 brake and pull up automatically without hitting the crash test dummy, and with no driver intervention.

It must be said it's a difficult test to master, because the natural instinct when approaching an obstacle is to mash the brake pedal.

"During our test, 97 per cent of people actually braked before the system kicked in, even though they knew it was there," said Volvo's senior technical advisor from the Volvo Cars Safety Centre, Thomas Broberg.

The system works at 35km/h or below, a figure that is both a result of technological boundaries and because "more than 75 per cent of crashes happen below 35km/h," says Broberg.

"The system has had two errors in the thousands of tests that we could reproduce," said Broberg when asked what went wrong with the Italian tests -- which happened only to the Australian journalists present.

All told, the Pedestrian Detection system underwent 650,000km of testing all around the world. Broberg asserts that if even one life is saved with the Pedestrian Detection system, the technology is successful.

"The brakes are primed, so maximum braking comes easier. If you do not respond to this warning the car will brake itself, using full braking power if necessary. It can avoid some collisions completely, at speeds of 35 km/h or less," he stated.

Broberg added that the Swedish company is constantly coming up with new safety solutions and that the rapid advancement of technology promises even more breakthroughs in the future.

"Five years ago we couldn't do what we have done today with the S60," explained Broberg.

The S60 goes on sale on December 10, 2010. Volvo will launch the wagon version of the S60, the V60, Down Under in the second quarter of 2011.

Volvo S60 range pricing:

-       S60 T5 (117kW/320Nm) 2.0 GTDi petrol $51,950
-       S60 D5 AWD (151kW/420Nm) 2.4 TwinTurbo diesel $57,950
-       S60 T6 AWD (224kW/440Nm) 3.0 Turbo petrol $64,950

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