For the 2008 model year model, the Swedish car manufacturer Volvo introduces its flagship with a host of safety features that can be expected to come from Volvo. The company has been known for developing safety technologies for automotive application since it was founded and it is no surprise that its flagship should have a long list of safety features that makes it seem that the Volvo S80 would never be involved in an accident.
The flagship though was not only upgraded in terms of the number of safety features it has. Its exterior and interior have also been modified to suit the "Scandinavian luxury" that Volvo is promoting.
"The new S80 is all about evolutionary design - all the shapes and materials represent a continuous development of our design language," says Steve Mattin, Volvo Cars' design director. "On the outside we have given the S80 a more youthful, dynamic stance. Inside we have created an even more inviting atmosphere with refined materials that blend smoothly with smart, user-friendly technology."
With the new Volvo S80 comes the standard Dynamic Stability and Traction Control system. This feature allows the driver to have total control of the car. The system senses if a vehicle is loosing traction. After determining which wheel is loosing traction, the system will then cut power from that particular wheel until traction is recovered.
Due to its sensing ability of the car wheel's traction, it can also determine if the car is skidding. In such incidents, the system will automatically increase the flow of power to a particular wheel to bring the car into a safe driving condition.
The S80 also comes with Active Bi-Xenon lights. The headlights are not stationary but can move according to the demand of the road. Much just like how a Volvo window motor can be dynamic, so are the headlights of the new S80. According to Volvo, the headlights turn with the steering wheel to provide lighting while turning corners. The headlights can turn 15 degrees in both directions. The system is deactivated during the day automatically to reduce the wear on the mechanism of the headlights.
Another safety feature that comes with the Volvo S80 is the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). This system uses radar to maintain a specified distance between the S80 and the car in front of it. If the traffic in front of the S80 slows down, the system will warn the driver and at the same time prime the brake for immediate deployment. If no action is taken by the driver, the system will automatically hit the brakes if the distance between the S80 and the car in front of it means that collision is unavoidable.
The S80 is also equipped with SIPS or Side Impact Protection System. This system ensures that the occupants of the S80 will be protected in the unfortunate event of a side collision. The construction of the S80 ensures that the impact of a car hitting the side of the S80 will be dispersed equally along the length of the side of the S80. This reduces the amount of energy generated by the impact that will reach the occupants of the S80.
The combination of these safety features gave the S80 a "good" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
