V40 CROSS COUNTRY D2 SE POWERSHIFT

AS smooth AS A YACHT AND AS fierce AS A TANKBY DONNIE RUST

www.littlegatepublishing.com

Volvo has always paved their own roads, driving upon

highways of their innovative ideas and designs. In 1997

the V70 Cross Country was launched, sixteen years later

the V40 retains the same rugged look and practicality that made the

name of the original.

Designed for those wanting a sense of adventure in their everyday

life, the V40 Cross Country is the evolution of the V40, expressive and

rugged it brings to the table a range of developments and uniquely

impressive strides: increased ride height, practical versatility and an

option of all-wheel-drive. With this increase of ride height, special

attention has been taken by the chassis team at Volvo to ensure

that the dynamic driving, optimum handling and comfort that has

epitomised Volvo for decades is not lost. And they have succeeded in

an exemplary fashion.

Safety Getting through the preliminaries, the safety of Volvo cars has

always been assumed. The same way you can assume that tanks will

be hardy and the same goes with their car designs that are shaped

layer by layer around the driver and passengers. The real beauty of

Volvo is that it is intrinsically deep.

The standard settings of the V40 Cross Country include Volvo’s

low-speed collision avoidance system, City Safety and the world’s first

pedestrian airbag. These, amongst the many other safety features

fitted, ensure Volvo’s reputation for safety leadership. Some of these

features earn additional brownie points, as an example the City Safety

resulted in this car having lower insurance ratings after being tested

by Thatcham on behalf of the Association of British Insurers.

If owners choose to take a policy out with Volvo Car Insurance,

they will receive a 10% discount because of the standard fitment of

City Safety, and owners who specify the Driver Support Pack will also

receive a further 5% discount on their premium.

Carbon Footprint, The Environment Lowering their impact on the environment has made Volvo one of

the pioneering heroes in this agenda and they have continued their

effort to reduce the damage

caused by exhaust emissions.

The V40 D2 Cross Country

emits only 99g/km per CO2. The

sweetener to this package, not

only is it green but both retail and

business users benefit from the

low BIK, road tax and residential

parking savings. Win, win.

Keeping People Happy And Comfortable

Having used this with a

carful of people I was delighted

to find that the V40 Cross

Country is fitted with SENSUS,

Volvo’s specialist infotainment system, designed to give outstanding

connectivity, security and personalisation.

With that, Volvo have started fitting Bluetooth connectivity for

their hands free and music streaming as standard in their vehicles

which I am old enough to appreciate as something we didn’t used to

have. One of the others things we didn’t always have was comfort as

standard, something that Volvo has made a point of ensuring that

their vehicles possess. If you are a regular driver you’ll attest to the

importance of comfort to a driver’s experience.

Looks And AppealNot that this is a nanny car. These extra layers of comfort and

safety have not come at the cost of Volvo’s reputation for being

hard-core and a number of the aesthetics have been designed to

give the V40 a tougher look. The front bumper has been re-designed

to incorporate lower black bumper inserts which also houses new

vertical day-running lights and a fitted front skid plate.

A unique honeycomb grille turns the front into a muzzle and the

rear bumper has a lower black

insert, in turn fitted with a silver-

coloured plastic skid plate with

‘Cross Country’ moulded into it.

Volvo’s classic V-shaped bonnet

is ingratiated with bold edging

and wider shoulders, another

Volvo trademark, stretching

from just behind the headlamps

and at the end of the rear door it

sweeps into an integrated “hook”,

I recognized as the a design

legacy from the P1800 coupé. A

wedged shaped roof silhouette

contributes to the lean-forward

stance and rear tail lamps are

positioned high, for maximum

visibility.

Driving IntelligenceVolvo’s “Designed Around You” can clearly be seen in the design

and functionality of the interior cabin of the Volvo V40 Cross Country.

Simple in design and visually pleasing it’s designed to be the most

intuitive driver interface ever

The cabin is full of easy-to-use technology, all part of Volvo’s

high-tech but user friendly Human Machine Interface HMI). The

infotainment system mentioned earlier is presented on a five or

seveninch colour screen in the upper part of the centre console set

high to make it easier for the driver to keep his or her eyes on the road

and everything can be controlled from the steering wheel.

The V40 Cross Country had very big shoes to fill with its

predecessor the V40 and huge efforts have gone into making

the Volvo V40 Cross Country as good a drive. They’ve created

a balance of ride, handling, steering and braking with special

emphasis going into the steering to ensure an intuitive, linear feel

between driver and the road.

The Electrical Power Assist Steering (EPAS) systems have

improved. Early electric steering systems were sometimes criticised

for lack of feel but Volvo has conquered that failing, and claims that

feedback is now as “as good as a good hydraulic steering system”. This

is important in their quest to become more economic and efficient

as electric steering means no hydraulic assistance which means fuel

savings.

A World FirstSafety has always identified Volvo as a pioneer with such

inventions as the three-point seat belt, the safety cage, rear seat

belts and side impact airbags. Continuing this trend, the V40 is fitted

as standard with City Safety and the world’s first Pedestrian Airbag

helping toward Volvo’s 2020 vision that no-one should be seriously

injured or killed in a new Volvo.

14 per cent of all traffic

fatalities in Europe are

pedestrians. Accordingly, the

Pedestrian Airbag means that,

if collision with a pedestrian is

unavoidable, the new technology

will try and mitigate any injury. A

specially located air bag on the

exterior of the car that covers the

bonnet and windshield combines

with a softer metal bonnet that

absorbs much of the impact

between vehicle and pedestrian.

Working best between the 12

and 31 mph range, due to 90%

of pedestrian accidents happen

below 41mph and usually in

residential areas this has been

an important step in keeping

accidents down.

This falls within a list of

important developments that

the V40 Cross Country has been

equipped with, all pertaining to

periphery sensory and giving

the driver a full 360 awareness

of the vehicle. Making use of the

very latest in technologies the

car is always a few steps ahead

of you, mapping out in real time

the locations of other vehicles

on the road, your alignment in

the lanes and the safety of maneuverers including

overtaking and stopping. As a simple example, if

you’re on a busy highway and you want to change

lanes but there is a car or motorcycle in your blind

spot the car will warn you ahead of time and not

allow the action until it is safe to do so.

Although the driver now has more access

to information such as SATNAV displays that

offer even more information, additional CD, Wifi,

BlueTooth and even DVD displays, it also provides

more and more opportunities for drivers to be

distracted. With this in mind it is reassuring that

manufacturers like Volvo are raising the bar on

safety and car/driver support.

The only problem is, I may never want to drive

anything else.