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Sunday, May 19, 2013

Volvo V40 Cross Country - Packed Full Of Safety - A Car Even My Wife Can Drive

OK ladies, please do not be offended by the title of this post. You see, Sammi has never driven but is about to learn. When I passed my driving test many years go (*ahem*), the most challenging part was managing to master the art of reverse parking.



Thanks to my buddy, Smith, and the team over at Wearnes Automotive, a couple of weeks ago, I was able to test drive the new Volvo V40 Cross Country... and guess what - this very cool and sporty looking car can reverse park itself!!



Just one of the very unique features, the V40 is a perfect example of how the Swedish manufacturer has become synonymous with driver and passenger safety. I had no idea, but Volvo invented the '3-point safety belt' back in 1958 - so it is fair to say that there is a bit of Volvo in the front seat of every modern car today.

Wait up!!! I cannot get past the fact that it can park itself - check this out:


We were fortunate to be left to our devices for the test drive and provided with tickets to visit the new 'Marine Life Park' at Resorts World Sentosa.



The car itself comes with a 1.6-litre 180 bhp engine, offering 270 Nm of torque, including 30 Nm overboost. The torque curve is relatively gentle, resulting in a particularly comfortable driving experience. The V40 can also (optionally) be tuned with Polestar Power Optimisation, which offers 200bhp and 260 Nm of torque. Fuel consumption is 6.1 litres per 100 km with CO2 emissions of 143 g/km... it threw me a little every time we stopped at a set of lights - I thought the engine had stopped! That was before I realized that in fact it did stop - the car cleverly turns itself on and off.



A few of the other safety features that would assist me (and Sammi, when she drives), inlcude the 'lane keeping aid' (alerts me when I'm swerving lanes), a roadside information display (including the ability to show me the speed limit on the display panel - now I know the speed limit on one stretch of our journey, I'm surprised I haven't had a ticket there by now), a driver alert control (tells me when I need to stop for kopi) and of course, the option of a pedestrian airbag.





In case you're a bit kiasu like me, you can also adjust the graphic theme of the display panel (depending on the passenger you are trying to impress). Choosing the 'Elegance Theme', provides an amber illumination that creates a calm aura. Or upon selecting the 'Eco Theme' it can display a green background illumination which is designed to create an 'environmentally inspired look'. An 'Eco Meter' is displayed on the left, with the current and accumulated fuel consumption figures being displayed. Finally, the 'Performance Theme' (my personal favourite) has a red background illumination which creates a 'sporty atmosphere'. In the centre of this display, a tachometer scale replaces the speed scale displayed in the Elegance and Eco versions. Vehicle speed is shown digitally in the centre of the display and the right side includes a power meter - a gauge that informs the driver how much power is available and how much power is being used at any given moment in time... making the driver feel very 'powerful'. :)




Other key features of the Volvo V40 Cross Country, include (but not limited to):

- A tinted panoramic glass roof - Seven different mood light options for the interior lighting - Two-piece, 40/60, rear backrest that can be easily folded to maximise loading
- Two different chassis setups: Dynamic and Sport - Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) system that uses a roll angle sensor to identify any skidding tendencies at an early stage
- Corner Traction Control that uses torque vectoring so the car corners more smoothly
- City Safety (active up to 50km/h) that keeps an eye on traffic in front and automatically brakes if the driver fails to react in time
- Full set of crash safety features including a knee airbag on the driver’s side


Thanks again to the folk at Wearnes Autmotive for offering the family and me one of the first opportunities to take this safe, cool and sporty vehicle for a work-out.











The visit to the 'Marine Life Park' at Resorts World Sentosa was also a blast with the kids - although it was very, very busy, the experience was both breath-taking and amazing - actually, it was awesome!







ABOUT WEARNES AUTOMOTIVE

"Established in 1906, Wearnes Automotive Pte. Ltd. is the sole distributor for Volvo cars in Singapore and has consistently been one of the top Volvo dealers in Asia. The Volvo showroom is located along the prime automotive belt of Alexandra Road, boasting one of the most customer-oriented automotive facilities in Singapore. The premises accommodate a state-of-the-art service and repair workshop that gives special attention to the intrinsic safety qualities of a Volvo."
 

1 comment:

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