Volvo Is Upscale Enough

Sometimes we sit around the Cars.com office and just scratch our heads when we hear what car companies are doing. In yesterday’s Detroit News came word that Ford is looking to make Volvo — Ford owns the Swedish automaker — more of an upscale luxury brand to better compete with BMW and Mercedes-Benz. If you thought Volvo was already a luxury car company, it’s technically considered a near-premium brand. The differences are hard to explain, but recent Volvos I’ve reviewed were roughly $10,000 less than their BMW and Audi counterparts despite having similar features and engines. Other near-premium brands are Saab, Cadillac, Lexus and Infiniti.

Now, Ford has the best of intentions … for it. The company needs to make more money off Volvo, which continues to be unprofitable despite an improved lineup. However, with Audi already making inroads into BMW and Mercedes-Benz territory, is there room for another company to do the same?

Volvo to Make HD Radio Standard for 2009 Models

In manufacturers’ constant arms race to include better perks for drivers, Volvo will make HD radio receivers standard in almost all of its models beginning in the second half of 2008.

Still in relative infancy, HD radio promises better sound quality than standard radio and offers vastly expanded programming. This includes access to news, weather, school closings and other emergency information right on the display screen.

Far from a monolithic set of stations with the same programming whether you’re driving in Seattle, Kansas City or New York, HD radio varies geographically, offering different stations in different locations that will remind listeners of the quaint ways of old-fashioned AM/FM radio. Across the country, radio stations are making the switch to HD broadcasting. Nearly 2,000 stations either broadcast in HD or offer HD2 multicasts on the FM dial with no subscription fee.

While reception may be spotty in certain areas, that won’t be so different from driving through west Texas trying to find a decent classic rock station.

Interestingly, there are a few exclusions in Volvo’s list of models that will have HD radio. Not listed are the base S40 or V50, nor is the S60. That makes us wonder whether the S60 will be around in 2009.

Volvo C70 and Saab 9-3 Earn First-Ever Top Safety Pick Designation for Convertibles

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its first crash tests of convertible models. Two of the 10 cars tested earned the organization’s Top Safety Pick designation: the Volvo C70 and the Saab 9-3. What was on the opposite side of the spectrum? The Pontiac G6 convertible scored only an Acceptable grade in frontal crashes and Marginal in side- and rear-impact tests.

Most surprising were the low side-impact scores registered by the all-new BMW 3 Series convertible and the Audi A4 Cabriolet (convertible). Both cars received marginal side-impact scores even though they’re both equipped with seat-mounted head and torso airbags. They also received poor grades in rear crash tests. For a full chart of the results, click below. 

Friday Fleet Notes: 05.11.07

This week we get some new blood into the reporting, namely our multimedia producer, Eric Rossi, who drove a Subaru Forester XT up to Wisconsin loaded with gear and some of our staff. He probably wanted to drive the new Nissan 350Z a bit more, but he still gives some interesting insight on the Forester’s long-haul attributes. The rest of us weigh in on the Volvo C70 and Jeep Patriot.

2007 Volvo C70

The C70 has impressed us before (we named it our Play Car of the Year for 2007), and I was thrilled to get the chance to drive it on a long-distance trip. I was a little worried about what it might cost at the pump, because the heavy car moved spiritedly, but those fears were not realized. Driving at highway speeds for more than three hours, I was able to get 29 mpg in the C70.

The C70 had great acceleration, handled the road well and was very comfortable. Perhaps the best thing about it, considering it’s a convertible, was the lack of wind noise with the top up — way better than I expected. Also better than expected was the visibility in the car, especially considering the low, arcing top, I expected to find blind spots on the sides and limited visibility out the back, but I never felt like it was difficult to see. On the downside, the doors are a little heavy, and getting into the backseat was a challenge for the kids. Still, I wouldn’t hesitate to put this on my list of possible next cars.

• Patrick Olsen, managing editor

Head to Head: 2007 Volvo C70 vs. 2007 Volkswagen Eos

Head to head. Hardtop convertible versus hardtop convertible with sunroof. A couple of years ago, this blog post wouldn’t have even existed. Now there are quite a few of these convertibles on the market, and many of them are affordable machines. Two of the big players are the new Volvo C70 and the yet-to-go-on-sale VW Eos. David Thomas and Mike Hanley took them both out in sunny suburbia last week for an open-air shootout.