Sitting beside me in an idling vehicle in Santo Volvo’s Moosic parking lot, salesman Chris Cadwalder told me to take my arms off the steering wheel and cross them on my chest, like a pouting four-year-old refusing to eat his spinach.

I had some reservations – I’ve generally found that it makes sense when operating most motor vehicles to have your hands on the steering wheel, not tucked up under your armpits.

But who was I to argue? After all, it was the Santo Auto Group’s $45,000 2010 Volvo XC60, not mine. And it was facing the multimillion dollar Santo showroom, not my home.

If Cadwalder wanted me to keep my hands off the wheel while aiming a brand new vehicle at a beautiful showroom filled with expensive vehicles, why should I resist?

Actually, our target wasn’t the showroom, but a trio of roadway reflectors sitting about 20 feet in front of it.

And our goal was to trigger a first-of-its-kind XC60 safety feature, not its airbags.

But I presumed those airbags were functional and put my trust in Volvo’s engineers and a guy who sells their products. I followed Cadwalder’s instructions by folding my arms, stomping on the gas pedal, and letting the car do the rest.

Before you learn what happened next, here’s what was supposed to happen:

Dealership owner Greg Santo said a feature called “City Safety,” which was developed by Volvo and is currently unique to the XC60, would automatically stop the vehicle before it hit the reflectors…. without any driver intervention.

Seriously. The company that recently celebrated the anniversary of inventing three-point seatbelts has come up with a new feature, standard on the XC60, which can prevent front-end collisions.

According to Volvo, the system uses a laser sensor mounted near the top of the windshield to detect vehicles and other objects up to 18 feet in front of the XC60's bumper. A computer performing 50 calculations per second can automatically stop the Volvo if it determines that a collision is imminent based on the speed and distance of the XC60 and the object in front of it.

Learning all that, I couldn’t wait to test City Safety. That’s how I found myself sitting with my arms folded, roaring toward some flimsy reflectors and the not-so-flimsy glass-and-steel showroom wall just beyond them.

It took the few unfrazzled nerves I have left to keep my hands off the wheel and my foot on the gas pedal until the XC60’s speedometer needle reached 28 mph.

And it took a leap of faith to keep my foot from mashing the brake pedal as Volvo’s new compact crossover bore down on the reflectors and…

…plowed right through them…

…and kept going…

…right toward the showroom.

I think Cadwalder crossed himself – not his arms – and started muttering a prayer as the XC60 hurtled toward the wall. But I’m not sure because I was preoccupied trying to stop the vehicle.

I succeeded, probably thanks more to Volvo’s safety technology than my own reflexes. I learned after the demo that another safety feature called Collision Warning with Auto Brake (CWAB, part of a $1,700 option package) can help in emergency situations by automatically activating the brakes when a crash is imminent.

Had that system not kicked in to assist my own internal braking system (my left foot and sluggish reflexes), I’m pretty sure the Santo showroom would have suffered more damage than my body in the resultant crash.

That’s because Volvo is known for paying more attention to safety than an elementary school crossing guard.

As its newest model, the XC60 is endowed with an unprecedented number and scope of safety features designed to protect the vehicle’s occupants.

For example, in addition to City Safety and CWAB, another exclusive safety feature called Pre-Prepared Restraints (PRS) debuts on the XC60. PRS is designed to reduce injuries during a collision by using information from the vehicle’s laser sensor to help control deployment of the airbags and seat belt load limiters.

There are many more safety features on the XC60. These include more airbags than a hot air balloon convention; seats designed to prevent whiplash; automatic traction, anti-skid, and anti-roll systems and chassis construction that incorporates a Boron-reinforced passenger compartment that resists crushing and crumple zones specifically designed to be crushed to dissipate the force of a collision.

Nearly all of that is included at no extra cost on the XC60, which is very well equipped for its base price of $37,200. My test car’s sticker price of $44,585 included other safety options such as adaptive cruise control that automatically adjusts to changing traffic speed and warning systems that alert the driver when there’s another vehicle in a blind spot or if the XC60 strays over a lane divider without using a turn signal.

But even Volvo hasn’t yet developed a safety system to protect auto writers from overzealous dealers. If it had, my harrowing City Safety experience would have been totally avoidable.

Volvo makes it very clear that the system only operates at speeds up to 19 mph, the maximum speed in 75 percent of all accidents, according to the Swedish car maker. And it’s only designed to actually stop the XC60 at speeds up to 9 mph. Between 10 and 19 it merely slows it enough to minimize damage to the vehicle and its occupants.

After my demo, Santo told me – when he could control his laughter – that he was well aware of all that. But having seen the XC60 automatically stop itself at speeds up to at least 25 mph during his own tests, he said he wanted to push the envelope even further.

And I, apparently, was his guinea pig.

Frankly, I didn’t mind too much because after plowing through reflectors for about 20 minutes I got to take the XC60 home for a week.

The first thing I noticed only moments after exiting Santo’s parking lot was the XC60’s inspiring engine. This crossover is quick, launching from zero to 60 mph in a tick over 7 seconds, according to Volvo. But it feels faster, thanks to a silky, turbocharged, in-line six-cylinder engine that responds instantly to every nudge of the throttle.

Volvo’s compact crossover also easily surges past slowpokes on the highway and effortlessly climbs northeastern Pennsylvania’s steepest grades.

A six-speed automatic transmission with manual override seems a perfect mate to the engine, shifting imperceptibly and always selecting the correct gear for any given driving situation. The all-wheel drive system operates with similar fluidity and effectiveness.  

If there’s a downside to the XC60’s powertrain, it is its so-so EPA fuel economy rating of 16 city/22 highway miles per gallon. But Volvo may already have a response to that. European XC60 buyers can choose from one of two diesel engines, so don’t be surprised if there’s a high-mileage oil-burner option offered here before long.

Volvo, on the other hand, doesn’t need to do a thing to the XC60’s suspension. Like many premium European vehicles, its ride is firm but supremely comfortable. Even the most obscene road conditions failed to fluster the fully independent front and rear suspensions.

And handling is so good I frequently forgot I was driving a crossover. The XC60’s steering road feel, responsiveness and accuracy would be perfectly suited to a sport touring sedan.

But check out its roomy interior, which provides over 67 cubic feet of cargo space with the second-row seats folded, and it’s pretty evident this is no sedan. The XC60’s versatility is enhanced by 40/20/40 folding rear seatbacks and a flat-folding front passenger seat. But taller occupants might wish that the rear seat cushions slid fore and aft or that the seatbacks reclined. 

Given everything else the XC60 has going for it, however, complaining about that seems like nit-picking. The XC60 is such a versatile, well-equipped, elegant, fun-to-drive and safe vehicle that it would definitely be among those I’d consider if I could drive only one vehicle for the next year or two.

But you can bet I wouldn’t spend any of that time operating it with my arms crossed.

 

NUTS AND BOLTS

What is it? 2010 Volvo XC60 T6, a new compact crossover SUV from Volvo that just might be the safest in the world.

What' does it cost? The XC60 debuted as a 2010 model in only one very well-equipped T6 trim level, although  that will change if Volvo, as expected, begins offering it with other powertrains. Until then, the XC60 starts at $37,200. Options and destination charge hiked test vehicle’s MSRP to $44,585.

What I liked best: XC60 is remarkably well-rounded and appealing, but my favorite thing was not plowing slamming it into the showroom wall.

What I disliked: Looking like an idiot during my demo.

Who's it for? Anyone seeking an elegant and versatile crossover who doesn’t need to transport more than five passengers.

Important numbers: 3.0-liter, 24-valve, intercooled, turbocharged, inline 6-cyl. produces 281 horsepower, 295 lb-ft of torque. 6-speed automatic. 109.2-inch wheelbase. 4,174 pounds. 9.1-inches ground clearance. 16 city/22 highway mpg (EPA). 3,300-lb. towing. 30.8/67.4 cu.ft. cargo space with rear seats up/down. 0-60 in 7.1 seconds (Volvo spec).

 

About the Author

Scott Wasser is the managing editor for the Times Leader. Reach him at (570) 970-7162 or swasser@timesleader.com.

Scott Wasser is a previous Vice President of News. He currently serves as executive editor of the Portland Press Herald as her continues to write an auto column for The Times Leader.

Wasser has worked at newspapers as diverse as the Stuttgart Daily Leader in Arkansas and the Charlotte Observer in North Carolina. His Times Leader tenure began in 1983, when he was hired as the newspaper’s sports editor. Over the next decade, he turned the newspaper’s sports section into one of the most recognized in the nation as it was annually named one of the best daily and Sunday sports sections in the country.

Wasser left the sports department to become assistant general manager and online editor of The Times Leader’s website during the infancy of the internet. He left The Times Leader in 2000 to become online editor of the Wilmington (Del.) News Journal. Just prior to returning to The Times Leader in 2008, he was editor-in-chief of a national magazine covering home theater and other consumer electronics.

But Wasser says his proudest accomplishment is having driven and reviewed over 1,000 cars, trucks and motorcycles since he started writing a weekly car column for The Times Leader in 1988. The column, which runs in print on Saturday and online here, has appeared in several other newspapers, and Wasser has contributed auto-related content to national publications including “Road & Track” and “Open Road” magazines and “USA Today.”

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