Every Safety Feature on the 2016 Volvo XC90

"Michael Woyahn" (michaelwoyahn) 11/07/2015 at 12:26 • Filed to: None

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My childhood was filled with crash tests between Hot Wheels and my trusty razor scooter, leading my mom to question my mental health. Despite this, my interest in crashes has persisted to this day, which is why I recently gave a speech on the new safety tech in the XC90 and condensed it into this piece.

Before I go into detail about specific types of crashes, I would like to address the areas where there is no major innovation. First, the entire passenger compartment of the XC90 is surrounded by high strength steel, which is nothing new, especially in a Volvo. The car is made this way in order to keep the interior space intact in an accident. The parts that aren’t made of high strength steel are designed specifically to crumple to absorb energy.

Second, there were also no major innovations in side impacts. Interestingly, the XC90 doesn’t have side airbags mounted in the rear seats, like the ones in the front seats, but there’s a reason for this. The body of the Volvo is so strong and good at handling the force of side impacts, side airbags are simply not necessary in the rear. Now, this is a theory on my part, but typically side airbags do not get along well with child car seats. I have a suspicion that Volvo wanted to make sure the XC90 was as family friendly as possible so they skipped rear side airbags to avoid potential issues.

Head On Accidents

As common with modern Volvos, the XC90 uses sensors to actually prevent head on accidents from happening in the first place. This is all encompassed in a system called IntelliSafe. Like City Safety, it scans for cars, bikes, and pedestrians. If one of these potential crash barriers ends up in front of the Volvo and an impact is impending, it will alert the driver. While the XC90 is beeping away, it pre-charges the brakes by moving the calipers closer to the rotor. The brakes will then react instantly if the driver touches them. Now, if the driver fails to do anything to avoid the accident, the XC90 will stop itself at speeds up to 31 miles per hour.

Here’s where IntelliSafe smashes into new territory. It can sense animals, which would have been helpful in !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , but it is important to note that IntelliSafe can’t fully stop for animals. This is the case because their movements are fairly unpredictable. The XC90 can, however, brake to reduce the impact. IntelliSafe also introduces new accident prevention methods in left turns at intersections. If the XC90 thinks that the driver will turn left into another car, it will stop itself.

Now, if the idea of the car taking control because “it’s smarter than you” freaks you out, the systems can be overridden with moderate input to the throttle, steering, or brakes. This essentially means that if you have a deep-seated grudge against Bambi and want to hit every deer possible or a carjacker jumps into the car’s path, you can floor it to avoid the car’s interference.

Run Off Road Accidents

Again, the Volvo has technology to prevent the car from leaving the road in the first place. It has the typical Lane Keep Assist, which does exactly what you think it does, as well as a road edge and barrier detection system. This system actively looks for either the edge of the road or a barrier like a guardrail. If the XC90 senses a potential unwanted interaction with any of these things, it will steer itself back onto its intended course. This system works at speeds between 40 and 124 miles per hour.

If the preventative technology can’t stop you from flying off the road, the Volvo automatically retracts the seat belts to put the occupants in the perfect position to crash. Then, when the car hits the ground, the seats actually absorb the impact. The piece that connects the seat to the floor is designed to crumple like a crumple zone in the front of the car. The engineers also removed everything from under the front seats so there is up to 5.5 inches for the seats to lower, based on how big the impact is.

Rear End Accidents

Of course, sensors play a key role in rear end accidents. There is a rear firing radar in the back of the Volvo and if the XC90 sees a car approaching quickly, it will alert the driver. The reason why the Volvo alerts the driver is to give them a chance to avoid the accident by either turning off into the shoulder or accelerating forward from something like a stop sign. At this point, in countries other than the U.S. thanks to our ridiculous lighting laws, the Volvo starts flashing its taillights to try and get the other driver’s attention.

If either driver can’t avoid the crash, the Volvo will retract the seat belts to place the occupants perfectly in their seats. This way, the whiplash protection system built into the seats can work properly. Without going too in depth, the seat backs and headrests first move back with the passenger and then recline in order to absorb some of the force from the impact.

While the XC90 is retracting the seat belts, it fully applies the brakes. This does two things. The first function is reducing the impact felt by the passengers. The car cannot accelerate forward as quickly, so the force on the occupants is naturally less. The second function is to stop the XC90 from hitting the car in front, or at least hit the car at a slower speed.

Now, I doubt that technology present in the armored cocoon of leather and airbags that is the 2016 XC90 came as a huge surprise. Especially coming from the company that has prided itself on safety for basically its entire existence. But, what is surprising is that these expensive features will work their way down to cheaper cars in the very near future. Look at the Scion iA; it’s a $17,500 Mazda2 sedan that had a face transplant with an absolutely furious bottom feeder. It is meant to be a cheap city car and it comes standard with, essentially, a less sophisticated version of City Safety that works at speeds up to 18 miles per hour. Before we know it, Hot Wheels will be stopping themselves and it will be impossible for kids to crash them.

Photo credit to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Michael Woyahn 11/07/2015 at 12:36

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That is why I am so glad to be a Volvo family.

I’ve got my 08 C30

Mom has a 12 S60

and Dad has a 15 V60

It’s honestly reassuring knowing they are driving some unbelievably safe cars

Michael Woyahn > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 11/07/2015 at 12:41

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I bet! It has to be nice to know that your family is in good hands if they ever get into an accident.

I’m very tempted by a 2011 S60 T6 in blue with the Beechwood brown interior. The main thing that is making me hesitant is the lack of a spare tire, premium gas, and unknown reliability. Have you had any issues with the ones in your family?

TheNeonDriver - Now with More BMW! > Michael Woyahn 11/07/2015 at 12:42

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What are those little puffs of smoke from the top of the car in the rear end test?

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Michael Woyahn 11/07/2015 at 12:52

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Let me say if you were to get that I would be super jealous because Beechwood is my favorite interior ever!

I don’t know if the T6 is a requirement for you (maybe because of AWD or something) but my dad has the T5.

we drove both and the T5 honestly felt just as powerful. One nice thing about the T5 though is that it runs on REGULAR gas. My dad was very happy when he learned that. Spare tire is a bit annoying. Dad talked about ordering the kit online for like $200 if you are concerned enough about a blowout.

Mechanically we have never had a problem on any of them. If anything it was a few little things like a burnt out license plate light (bad wiring harness), broken seat trim, a sharp edge on the bottom of the metal trim in the steering wheel and one issue with the keyless entry on one of the doors. All was covered and repaired for free though under warranty.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Michael Woyahn 11/07/2015 at 13:15

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I gotta say, I give mad props to Volvo for their safety record. I’d have no qualms at all about letting my wife drive one, but alas, they seem pretty pricey around here. That, and they never brought their plug-in hybrid wagon here. That would have been awesome.

Michael Woyahn > TheNeonDriver - Now with More BMW! 11/07/2015 at 14:07

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I’m not totally sure, but I think they went off right when the car felt the most acceleration from the crash. Or they might be connected to the whiplash system in the seats so the smoke went off when the seats started moving to absorb the impact. I feel like the first option makes more sense, but it’s pretty much a guess.

Michael Woyahn > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 11/07/2015 at 14:15

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I’m glad they haven’t caused you too much trouble. The S60 I’m looking at is actually at CarMax so I was debating whether the famous warranty would be worth it.

I would like all wheel drive because I live in Wisconsin, but I could probably get away with front wheel drive. Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure the 2013+ model years had the option of all wheel drive with the T5. It’s good to know that the T5 runs on regular gas, that would definitely be a nice bonus! I could probably get away with only keeping the spare in the car on long trips too. Oh man, I’m so tempted now!