Volvo XC90 And SafetyIts maker calls it "the unselfish SUV"Since introducing the first production seatbelt in 1959, Volvo claims that every car on the road has "a little bit of Volvo in it." Environmental concern and good design have gained precedence over the last decade, but the company has been known for safety since its founders established that as the guiding principle 75 years ago. Taken together, these core values are characteristically Swedish.
Today, Volvo is Ford's worldwide center of safety technology, and will conduct more than 400 full-scale crash tests at its Safety Center over the next year. The most striking part of the facility is the crash test building, with its 600-ton hinged, enclosed track that rides on hovercraft-style air cushions as it swings. In it, two vehicles can be crashed into each other from any angle.
Live crash tests, each of which costs from $35-40,000 U.S. without the cost of the vehicles themselves, are primarily used early and late in the vehicle development process. In between, electronic crash simulations are used, as many as 14 every 24 hours. Even with live tests recorded and filmed at up to 3,000 frames per second, the computers' results will be more detailed and, as far as the complex and tender structures of the occupants go, probably more accurate than a live test. Simulations allow greater repetition, faster results and the ability to predict and refine the performance of structures without building them. Volvo also does research for Ford Europe, Aston-Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover, as well as simulations for the North American arm.
Volvo Car Corp. has stuck with the strategy of being a car company until now: The XC90 will be its first wagon tall enough to be called an SUV. It is the company's first entry into a totally new area of the market since the P1800, and Volvo wants to "contribute to this segment." Obviously, any company releasing an SUV has reason to be concerned about safety. Volvo introduces a new safety innovation with every new vehicle, and the XC90 is no exception. It is safe for those inside it and for those outside it, whether or not they are protected by another vehicle. The XC90 addresses the issue of vehicle compatibility with a second crossmember below its bumper, behind the fascia, designed to engage the bumpers and crumple zones of smaller, lower vehicles. The hood is a minimum of 80mm (3.1 in.) from any engine part, allowing it to absorb energy should a pedestrian be struck.
The XC90's Roll-over Protection System (ROPS) is new. A Roll Stability Control gyro sensor measures roll speed and angle and calculates the final roll angle that will be achieved. If a rollover is likely, RSC activates the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) to reduce engine power and actuate the brakes until a safe, understeering chassis attitude is regained.
The XC90 uses ultra-high-strength boron steel in frontal, side and roof structures. It is so strong that it cannot be straightened if bent in an accident. It must be cut out and replaced, but odds are, said one engineer, if those structures require repair the vehicle will be totalled.
Just to illustrate, Volvo totalled an XC90 test mule for an audience of journalists. I had seen several slow rolls off-road before, but never one leaving roof paint on pavement. As the XC90 came tumbling out the end of the Safety Center's fixed wing onto a concrete pad at 30 mph, the crunch was horrific. If you've ever heard a car hit the wall at a track, it was like that. But it kept going, and going, and...still going. The day before, it went over twice. The day I was there, the XC90 did three complete rolls in a test that was initiated exactly the same way. Christer Gustafsson, VCC Senior Safety Engineer, explained that the complexity of rollovers is what makes them so difficult to predict.