Thursday, August 30, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
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Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Risk of Injury in a Volvo Drops 50 Percent Since 2000
Give credit to Volvo, the Swedish automaker has emphasized safety through all its years and continues to do so while other automakers focus on performance or fuel efficiency.
Through all its technological innovations and focus on safety in the last decade, the automaker has concluded that passengers and drivers in a current-model Volvo have a 50 percent lesser chance of being injured than in a vehicle back in the year 2000. It may be hard to believe, but back in 2000, safety features such as electronic stability control, lane departure warning, blind spot detection, automatic braking, and more, were inconceivable – or at lest not popular. Nowadays, it’d be difficult to find a car that doesn’t offer those features.
Most recently, the 2012 Volvo S60 earned the top rating in the new IIHS crash test, a further testament to just how safe a Volvo is. The automaker isn’t just concerned about those in the vehicle, however, being the first to actually equip its vehicles with a pedestrian airbag.
As for what’s to come in the next decade? Volvo hopes that by 2020, no occupants in a new model Volvo should suffer any serious or fatal injuries in a crash.
Courtesy of autoguide.com
Monday, August 27, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Find out how you can get two free round-trip tix to Europe
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Volvo creates one of the best wagons with the XC70
For decades Volvo wagons carted artists, surfers, road warriors and tweed-coated professors in box shaped practicality and trucklike durability. Then “wagon” became a dirty word and Volvo, among others, discovered you could lift one wagon a couple of inches, cover liberally in plastic cladding for would-be explorers to fend off shopping carts and presto, a wagon by any other name. In this case named XC70 (XC for cross country), it’s the best wagon Volvo brings to the U.S.
Everything inside, many of the mechanicals and most of the exterior is shared with a V70 wagon, just higher and sporting easily scratched imitation skid-plates. Audi does the same thing with their Allroad, an A4 wagon with a lift and plastic; so does Subaru.
An XC70 comes in front-wheel drive with a 240-horsepower 3.2-liter inline-six engine or all-wheel drive with either the 3.2-liter engine or 300-hp 3.0-liter turbo (T6) power; both engines sit sideways underhood so you get the inherent smoothness of an inline six and more compact packaging of a V-6. Steroids by Polestar bump T6 output to 325 horsepower over a wider rev band and torque to 355 lb-ft from 325; essentially a $1,495 premium-fuel tune the Polestar upgrade has no effect on EPA ratings or the long warranty.
Crisp accelerator response and effortless mid-range thrust provides easy overtaking on mountain highways; the quicker 0-60 time of 6.6 seconds is appreciated at metered on-ramps but it keeps pulling like a freight train well into triple digits. At a relaxed pace it purrs along like any other 70 and while all-wheel drive, 4,300 pounds and big power don’t equal fuel economy, I bested EPA ratings (17/22) by 2 to 4 miles per gallon everywhere.
An XC copes very well with most road surfaces, paved and graded, a solid, quiet cruiser for road trips or endless rail crossings and intersection dips. The impression of solidity is backed up by door apertures and floor shapes hiding reinforcements everywhere, a reassuring door thud and multilevel genuine metal tie-down points in the well-detailed cargo area.
The car is reasonably maneuverable aided by excellent outward visibility and a tighter turning radius than some Volvos two feet shorter. Steering has some feel to it, although it’s occasionally artificial, like you’re tugging against a rubber band going off center, and feedback is appropriate for the car. You might notice side-to-side or front/rear weight transfer more than in a wagon because there’s more weight up higher, but it’s far better than the average crossover. From it’s transparent-to-the-driver all-wheel drive and all-season tires to full-automatic braking in impending collision or pedestrian detection, the XC70 is made to inspire confidence rather than set records.
Cargo area with the back seat up is more than 30 cubic feet, shaming many SUVs and the bogey Audi Allroad. Easily flatten the three rear seat sections and the space expands to 72 cubic feet, again much more than an Allroad, and the near-vertical hatch is superior for bulky objects.
New aluminum console trim frames a plank of walnut, very attractive and good at dazzling front occupants in sunlight. Also new are a 7-inch screen high on the dash, optional 650-watt 12-speaker sound system (the standard piece is very good), Bluetooth, Sirius and HD radio, and the City Safety system that helps inattentive drivers avoid driving into people or stopped cars.
A very pleasant cabin in soft materials at every touch point is easily on par for fit and finish with Lexus or Audi, and the dark brown and tan décor (sandstone over espresso) has silky leather on the seat edges with heavier, more textured leather on center sections. Storage of various sizes is all over and logical controls illustrate the simplicity thought in to the entire cabin.
Front seat room is very good, aided by full-power seats and a steering column with lots of adjustment. Rear seat space is a little tighter, fine for every adult we tried but more likely built with kids in kind; you can even get built-in booster seats but save the money and padding if your brood’s already beyond them.
Cargo area with the back seat up is more than 30 cubic feet, shaming many SUVs and the bogey Audi Allroad. Easily flatten the three rear seat sections and the space expands to 72 cubic feet, again much more than an Allroad, and the near-vertical hatch is superior for bulky objects. There’s also a handy segmented tray under the floor, grocery bag wall to keep them contained within easy reach of the power hatch, and a cargo cover at window height for a superb view rearward. The XC70 can even tow more than many SUVs and crossovers, with a 3,300-pound limit regardless of engine.
A very pleasant cabin in soft materials at every touch point is easily on par for fit and finish with Lexus or Audi, and the dark brown and tan décor (sandstone over espresso) has silky leather on the seat edges with heavier, more textured leather on center sections. Storage of various sizes is all over and logical controls illustrate the simplicity thought in to the entire cabin.
An XC70 3.2 front-wheel drive starts at $33,000, with all the space and safety of any XC. A T6 all-wheel drive runs from $39,100, and this Premier Plus adds $1,850 and a power hatch, keyless drive, front and rear park assist and a slew of conveniences. A Technology package with adaptive cruise control, collision warning and full-auto braking, active high beams, lane departure warning and distance alert is $2,100, while the better-than-average blind spot monitor is a stand-alone $700 option. Other upgrades include rain-sensing wipers, active bi-xenon headlamps, booster seats, metallic paint, and heated windshield, headlight washers and four seats. A Platinum model comes with navigation, upgraded sound system and rear camera.
The primary competitor Allroad uses an eight-speed automatic and 400 pounds less weight to reach 60 mph a bumper earlier, and gets better EPA numbers, but loaded at highway speeds, the XC70’s 114-hp advantage will be obvious. The XC has the clear edge in cargo space — you’d buy a sedan if this wasn’t important — and towing capacity, and when similarly equipped costs no more.
An XC70 will often make your life easier, has an enviable safety record and offers all-wheel drive if you really need it. In T6 form, even your enthusiast spouse will happily do their wheel time on road trips.
Volvo creates one of the best wagons with the XC70
For decades Volvo wagons carted artists, surfers, road warriors and tweed-coated professors in box shaped practicality and trucklike durability. Then “wagon” became a dirty word and Volvo, among others, discovered you could lift one wagon a couple of inches, cover liberally in plastic cladding for would-be explorers to fend off shopping carts and presto, a wagon by any other name. In this case named XC70 (XC for cross country), it’s the best wagon Volvo brings to the U.S.
Everything inside, many of the mechanicals and most of the exterior is shared with a V70 wagon, just higher and sporting easily scratched imitation skid-plates. Audi does the same thing with their Allroad, an A4 wagon with a lift and plastic; so does Subaru.
An XC70 comes in front-wheel drive with a 240-horsepower 3.2-liter inline-six engine or all-wheel drive with either the 3.2-liter engine or 300-hp 3.0-liter turbo (T6) power; both engines sit sideways underhood so you get the inherent smoothness of an inline six and more compact packaging of a V-6. Steroids by Polestar bump T6 output to 325 horsepower over a wider rev band and torque to 355 lb-ft from 325; essentially a $1,495 premium-fuel tune the Polestar upgrade has no effect on EPA ratings or the long warranty.
Crisp accelerator response and effortless mid-range thrust provides easy overtaking on mountain highways; the quicker 0-60 time of 6.6 seconds is appreciated at metered on-ramps but it keeps pulling like a freight train well into triple digits. At a relaxed pace it purrs along like any other 70 and while all-wheel drive, 4,300 pounds and big power don’t equal fuel economy, I bested EPA ratings (17/22) by 2 to 4 miles per gallon everywhere.
An XC copes very well with most road surfaces, paved and graded, a solid, quiet cruiser for road trips or endless rail crossings and intersection dips. The impression of solidity is backed up by door apertures and floor shapes hiding reinforcements everywhere, a reassuring door thud and multilevel genuine metal tie-down points in the well-detailed cargo area.
The car is reasonably maneuverable aided by excellent outward visibility and a tighter turning radius than some Volvos two feet shorter. Steering has some feel to it, although it’s occasionally artificial, like you’re tugging against a rubber band going off center, and feedback is appropriate for the car. You might notice side-to-side or front/rear weight transfer more than in a wagon because there’s more weight up higher, but it’s far better than the average crossover. From it’s transparent-to-the-driver all-wheel drive and all-season tires to full-automatic braking in impending collision or pedestrian detection, the XC70 is made to inspire confidence rather than set records.
Cargo area with the back seat up is more than 30 cubic feet, shaming many SUVs and the bogey Audi Allroad. Easily flatten the three rear seat sections and the space expands to 72 cubic feet, again much more than an Allroad, and the near-vertical hatch is superior for bulky objects.
New aluminum console trim frames a plank of walnut, very attractive and good at dazzling front occupants in sunlight. Also new are a 7-inch screen high on the dash, optional 650-watt 12-speaker sound system (the standard piece is very good), Bluetooth, Sirius and HD radio, and the City Safety system that helps inattentive drivers avoid driving into people or stopped cars.
A very pleasant cabin in soft materials at every touch point is easily on par for fit and finish with Lexus or Audi, and the dark brown and tan décor (sandstone over espresso) has silky leather on the seat edges with heavier, more textured leather on center sections. Storage of various sizes is all over and logical controls illustrate the simplicity thought in to the entire cabin.
Front seat room is very good, aided by full-power seats and a steering column with lots of adjustment. Rear seat space is a little tighter, fine for every adult we tried but more likely built with kids in kind; you can even get built-in booster seats but save the money and padding if your brood’s already beyond them.
Cargo area with the back seat up is more than 30 cubic feet, shaming many SUVs and the bogey Audi Allroad. Easily flatten the three rear seat sections and the space expands to 72 cubic feet, again much more than an Allroad, and the near-vertical hatch is superior for bulky objects. There’s also a handy segmented tray under the floor, grocery bag wall to keep them contained within easy reach of the power hatch, and a cargo cover at window height for a superb view rearward. The XC70 can even tow more than many SUVs and crossovers, with a 3,300-pound limit regardless of engine.
A very pleasant cabin in soft materials at every touch point is easily on par for fit and finish with Lexus or Audi, and the dark brown and tan décor (sandstone over espresso) has silky leather on the seat edges with heavier, more textured leather on center sections. Storage of various sizes is all over and logical controls illustrate the simplicity thought in to the entire cabin.
An XC70 3.2 front-wheel drive starts at $33,000, with all the space and safety of any XC. A T6 all-wheel drive runs from $39,100, and this Premier Plus adds $1,850 and a power hatch, keyless drive, front and rear park assist and a slew of conveniences. A Technology package with adaptive cruise control, collision warning and full-auto braking, active high beams, lane departure warning and distance alert is $2,100, while the better-than-average blind spot monitor is a stand-alone $700 option. Other upgrades include rain-sensing wipers, active bi-xenon headlamps, booster seats, metallic paint, and heated windshield, headlight washers and four seats. A Platinum model comes with navigation, upgraded sound system and rear camera.
The primary competitor Allroad uses an eight-speed automatic and 400 pounds less weight to reach 60 mph a bumper earlier, and gets better EPA numbers, but loaded at highway speeds, the XC70’s 114-hp advantage will be obvious. The XC has the clear edge in cargo space — you’d buy a sedan if this wasn’t important — and towing capacity, and when similarly equipped costs no more.
An XC70 will often make your life easier, has an enviable safety record and offers all-wheel drive if you really need it. In T6 form, even your enthusiast spouse will happily do their wheel time on road trips.
Thanks for the awesome review, Mel!
"This was a very satisfying used car purchase. The Internet Sales representative (Leo) was earnest, knowledgeable and helpful. I highly recommend this dealership." - Mel C.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Way to go Sandberg Northwest Volvo Team! You Earned Another Amazing Review!
Congrats to our Team for Earning This Outstanding Review!
To read more of our reviews on Yelp just click HERE.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
This 2010 Acura TL is in great condition, and the pristine white exterior gives it a luxurious look.
See our website for more information.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Volvo's best seller, the S60 T5, now comes with four-wheel grip!
Those beautiful mountaintop vistas? They come with a price tag. And we're not just talking about blue chip real estate values – high altitude can be hell on your body, even if you're a paragon of physical fitness. Low air pressure can really curb one's appetite for alpine hikes, moguls or mountain biking down single-track. If you're not used to living the high life and your red blood cells aren't up to snuff, you can easily find yourself short of breath, dizzy, nauseated, dealing with an unusually rapid heart rate or worse. The same goes for your car. It might be a finely tuned piece of machinery, but it feels the effects of high altitude, too.
Thank goodness for forced induction. Despite existing for decades primarily in performance-minded cars, the auto industry is just now catching on to the virtues of turbocharged power in real volume – primarily for fuel economy and emissions gains. But the benefits of turbos and superchargers have never been lost on high-altitude motorists. Having a mechanical windsnail lashed to one's engine helps compensate greatly for thin air in places like Park City, Utah (elevation: 7,000 feet), which is helpful, because that's exactly where we went to test Volvo's 2013 S60 T5 with all-wheel drive.
It's possible for a normally aspirated engine to lose well over 20 percent of its peak power at elevations like this, which can smother the sort of driving engagement that good mountain roads hold almost intrinsically dear. A proper turbo setup can cut that loss in half or even by two thirds. Swedes being no strangers to altitudes, it should come as no surprise that turbo power has long been a staple of Volvo's powertrain lineup. In fact, Volvo's current generation S60 is rolling into its third model year as the company's best-selling model, and it's had turbo power since birth. So why are we revisiting it now? Because Volvo has finally fitted its T5 volume model with all-wheel drive, tweaking the in-line five-cylinder to boot.
While the S60's bodywork remains the same for 2013, Volvo has updated the turbocharged five-cylinder engine, which once again produces 250 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque in normal driving (a 10-second overboost function swells torque output to 295 pound-feet in gears two through six). Despite no change in the power figures, Volvo has added a new crankshaft and pistons, upped the compression ratio from 9.0:1 to 9.5:1 and reduced internal friction, all with the aim of improved drivability and performance. Also new is a modified engine management system that expands the engine's max torque range to 4,200 rpm, and there's a reprogrammed six-speed automatic transmission for quicker cog swaps in Sport mode. The S60 T5's 0-60 time thus tumbles from 6.8 seconds to 6.4 in front-drive guise, or 6.6 for all-wheel-drive models like ours.
To handle the power, Volvo is offering Haldex's fifth-generation AWD with the T5 engine for 2013 as a $2,000 option. The system is lighter than previous iterations by approximately five pounds, which helps reduce rotating mass and thus increase fuel efficiency. In normal driving, torque is distributed 95/5-percent front/rear, but depending on traction conditions and throttle input, power can be divvied up to 50/50, as under a hard launch.
Even with altitude-associated losses, our S60 pulled hard as we drove over and down the area's mountains, eventually wending our way into Wyoming on a long and beautiful drive route before heading back into the Beehive State. We observed plenty of power on hand throughout the rev-range – peak torque shows up at 1,800 rpm. There's very little turbo lag and enough power that we have trouble imagining paying more for the nose-heavier, thirstier T6 and its 300-horsepower 3.0-liter I6.
Despite the inclusion of Volvo's Corner Traction Control system (read: electronic torque vectoring technology), a handful of very tight switchbacks were not the S60's forte, as the front end washed out safely and predictably with understeer. Even so, the Volvo was otherwise at home on the Utah range, with well-controlled body motions, good steering response from the 17-inch Continental rubber and a general feeling of precision. Bombing down the Wasatch mountains' well-maintained road surfaces was a joy – the S60 proved surprisingly in its element stringing together lilting curves and off-camber corners, feeling lighter than its 3,700-pound curb weight would suggest. The chassis was similarly accomplished over everything from freeway expansion joints to cattle grids and railroad crossings, the modestly sized 235/45-R17 rubber offering adequate sidewall compliance to preserve ride quality.
Despite the T5's odd cylinder count, the engine's sound wasn't unpleasant, or even particularly characterful, but it was nonetheless fun to keep the tachometer in its upper reaches with the +/- gate, even if the transmission was smart enough to leave alone in its Sport detent when hammering on. That said, the continued omission of paddles remains a curious one for Volvo's self-described "naughty" sport sedan. They were particularly missed up in the mountains, where engine braking is often desired and sheer drop-offs give one added incentive to keep both hands on the wheel. A manual transmission option would be nice, too – it's absent on the entire S60 range, in contrast to rivals from Acura, Audi, BMW and Infiniti that all offer some sort of six-speed manual.
The S60's nicely quiet interior has remained unchanged since introduction, and that's a good thing. Oh, there's a bizarre new gearshift lever capping the six-speed automatic for 2012 (complete with a cheap-looking translucent plastic PRNDL pictogram), but otherwise, the cabin is the same Scandinavian minimalist cocoon it's always been. Our test car arrived sewn up in stunning Beechwood brown/orange leather, a bold choice that did a fine job of livening up what might have otherwise been too severe of an aesthetic. The driver-canted floating center stack remains, too, with its funky asymmetric air vents but well-thought-out pictogram HVAC controls. The occasionally fiddly stereo/vehicle settings menu system has returned, too, but we've found you get used to their operations quickly in non-navigation models like this one. The rear seat remains a bit tight for adults, but on the whole, accommodations are no worse than the BMW 3 Series or Mercedes-Benz C-Class, among others.
Even though the S60's gearbox still only has six ratios, the all-wheel-drive S60 is in the thick of the fuel efficiency hunt. Our AWD T5 is EPA rated at 20 miles per gallon in the city and 29 on the freeway, while the FWD model nets 21/30 figures, an increase of one mpg. Unlike its competitors, however, the Volvo accomplishes this on regular fuel – its foes either recommend or require premium hooch to get their power numbers.
This being a Volvo, safety systems are predictably front-and-center, with the usual alphabet soup of electronic minders joined by standard City Safety (read: collision detection with auto brake), and option packages that include everything from Drive Alert Control (drowsiness sensor) and LDW (Lane Departure Warning) to automatic high beams and RSI (Road Sign Information) detection, a system that uses the forward-facing camera to read posted limit signs and display the results in the instrument cluster.
FWD T5 models start at $31,750, rising to $33,750 for AWD. Our Ice White example included a $2,200 Premium Trim group (leather, moonroof, keyless go, power passenger seat, auto-dim rearview mirror) and Climate Package (heated seats and windshield washer nozzles, rain-sensing wipers, HVAC pollen filter), $375 rear spoiler, $250 17-inch Njord alloys and $895 for destination charges, bringing the grand total to $38,170. That's a pretty thick wad of frogskins, but it's also a boatload of European sedan for the money. With comparatively generous standard equipment levels, this Volvo shades the Germans for value quite easily.
Officials tell Autoblog that the company has sold some 45 percent of S60s with all-wheel drive thus far, and it reckons it will see a 20-percent improvement in the model's sales by simply adding grips-at-all-fours technology to the T5. We don't doubt they're right, especially since there's an added windfall: The five cylinder isn't just cheaper, it's also better to drive – and that's something you don't have to be high in Utah to see the value in.
Courtesy of autoblog.com
Monday, August 13, 2012
Our Safe + Secure warranty is one of the best in the industry
Visit our website to check out the attracitve lease offers that come with Safe + Secure.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
The Volvo XC60: Safety and Style
Designing and developing safety features are among the most exciting challenges for any carmaker, and at Volvo we take particular pride in the development of our safety innovations. In fact, in 2000 we created a unique crash-test safety laboratory that enables us to recreate many different accident types on the road in order to not only test the safety of our cars, but to also help us improve our safety features.
And yet for us, it isn’t enough to just invent safety features. The greater challenge is making sure that those features are as accessible and intuitive as possible. Our Lane Departure Warning System, for example, was carefully evaluated again and again, not just for functionality, but also to ensure that it would never be disruptive to the driver.
Similarly, our City Safety technology is a revolutionary technology that actually engages the brake system should the driver not react to an approaching vehicle at 19 mph or less. The Volvo XC60 is the first vehicle to offer this innovative technology as a standard feature.
Courtesy of volvoblog.us
Monday, August 6, 2012
A big thanks to Ashley and Jennifer for these great reviews on Yelp!
"Very friendly staff and a great assortment of new and used vehicles. Go see Joel B, he is super friendly and will make you feel at ease!" - Jennifer
"I had a great experience working with one of the salesman there. We got a great deal and none of the usual "car salesman" speels. I will be back!" - Ashley
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
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