2011 Volvo S60 Demonstration Video Shows Weaknesses in Automated Safety
Back when I reviewed the Volvo XC60 and its all-new City Safety System, Volvo had the foresight to include three plastic barriers to stand in as a parked car to prevent any careless mishaps for anyone wanting to test the innovative system. Maybe Volvo's engineers should have swapped out the stake truck for some plastic barriers in their recent attempt to demonstrate the same system that will be available on the 2011 Volvo S60 sedan. In what should have been a routine demonstration where the S60 automatically stops itself, the video instead shows weaknesses in automated safety systems.
In front of a decent crowd, Volvo attempted to show off the car's ability to stop itself if a collision is detected at certain speeds, but instead ran into the truck at full speed with the City Safety System or Collision Warning system not even attempting to slow the car down. Based on the current facts of the City Safety System in the 2010 Volvo XC60 along with the '35 KMH'? sticker on the side of the car, it is likely this S60 was approaching the truck at a speed just under 19 miles per hour. Like all stake trucks, the truck used in this demonstration uses a thin bumper at a normal car bumper's height although the height of the truck's bed is probably closer to the roofline of most passenger sedans. This could have played a role in what should have been a routine safety display, but also shows that no matter how many computer-aided safety devices a car has, the driver still must pay full attention to the road.
Advancements such as auto braking and active lane departure warning systems are adding to refined stability control and traction control systems to make cars safer than ever, but text messaging and other driver distractions can easily render all of these technologies useless if the driver isn't concentrated on driving. As for the mishap with the new S60, driver distraction was obviously not a cause, which shows how much we have come to trust the electronic systems in new cars. Not to compare Volvo's recent incident with the highly publicized Toyota problem with sudden acceleration, but as the growing number of computer systems are designed into our cars, it seems many of us have become too complacent.
It is not known whether the new S60 used for this demonstration was a production-ready version or not, but the botched display did highlight the S60's incredible safety structure. While the passenger compartment stayed in tact despite the front end buckling, one obvious problem was the lack of the driver's airbag deployment. The lack of the airbag's proper operation could be a result of truck bumper regulations that haven't changed much over the years. From the looks of the video, the area of the car where the airbag sensors are likely mounted went right underneath the truck's bumper and thus caused the airbag not to deploy.
The redesigned 2011 Volvo S60 will go on sale this fall with advanced safety features such as the City Safety System, Collision Warning with Auto Brake and Adaptive Cruise Control that is able to operate even at low speeds down to a standstill. One of the new systems that will make its debut on the new S60 is Volvo's Pedestrian Safety System with Full Auto Brake. Like the City Safety System, the Pedestrian Safety System with Full Auto Brake is able to warn the driver of potentially unseen pedestrians and, if the driver doesn't react in time, bring the car to a stop before hitting the pedestrian. While the City Safety System is limited to speeds less than 19 mph, the Pedestrian Safety System with Full Auto Brake operates at speeds up to 22 mph.
As for the styling of the new S60, it will have a front end design very similar to the current XC60 crossover, but with a sporty four-door coupe roofline and rear decklid. The redesigned S60 will come equipped with a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six that produces 300 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. While the engine's peak horsepower comes in at a rather high 6,500 revolutions per minute, the torque will be available across a wide plateau starting at 2,100 rpm up to 4,200 rpm. All 2011 Volvo S60 models will initially come standard with all-wheel drive to complement the sedan's sporty abilities, but a less expensive, front-wheel drive model could be offered in the future. Pricing will be available closer to the S60's launch, but it will likely start in the mid $30,000 range between the entry-level Volvo S40 and the luxurious Volvo S80 full-size sedan.