I hadn't taken our Volvo in several weeks and did a quick survey of its safety features as I drove home yesterday afternoon. The distance alert and lane departure warning features have their own buttons, which I turned on just for fun. The distance alert was set a little too generously for me, but I was too lazy to adjust it on the fly, so I turned it off. I'm not much of a lane-drifter, so that went, too.
One feature that I have carped about in other cars but which can actually be useful sometimes is a blind spot warning system. It's in our long-term Mazda 3, Ford Explorer and Nissan Quest (and maybe some other test cars that I'm overlooking). I looked for it in the Volvo, but ours doesn't have the feature. I think that's odd: Blind spotting seems like it should be standard in a Volvo -- particularly one that's so laden with other safety goodies.
It turns out that "preventive safety" features are bundled into what's called the Technology Package (MSRP: $2,100). (Maybe you have to call it a Technology Package to justify the price. If you called it the Safety Package, perhaps buyers would wonder why the stuff wasn't standard.)
The package includes collision warning and pedestrian detection with full auto brake; adaptive cruise control with "queue assist;" distance alert; driver alert control and lane departure warning.
The blind spot system isn't part of that offering. On its Web site, Volvo doesn't even list it as a safety feature. It's merely an a la carte "Driver Support" feature. MSRP is $700.
It seems to me that a blind-spot warning is unequivocally a safety feature. Why isn't it wrapped in with the other preventive safety systems in the Technology Package? Would it have pushed the cost of safety too close to the $3,000 threshold?
Carroll Lachnit, Features Editor @13,288 miles
jasond52 says:
12:10 PM, 02/14/12
Maybe Volvo thinks that drivers know how to set their mirrors to eliminate blind spots. Though, knowing American drivers, probably a good idea to have it.
blueguydotcom says:
12:27 PM, 02/14/12
@jason - amen.
justinlink says:
12:36 PM, 02/14/12
Is the photo a re-tread from your long-term XC60? Because it's definitely not out of an S60.
As for Blind Spot Monitoring being a "safety feature", I'd say it's more "driver's support" than anything else. Unlike essential safety features (anti-lock brakes, seat belts, what have you), blind spot monitoring is supplemental and should not take the place of looking over your shoulder or adjusting your mirrors properly. You could do without it BLIS, whereas you'd be hard-pressed to do without brakes or seat belts.
esoterica says:
12:53 PM, 02/14/12
@justinlink, it's actually not even a photo.
clachnit says:
01:58 PM, 02/14/12
Right you are @justinlink and @esoterica. Grab from a Volvo video.
montgom616 says:
02:44 PM, 02/14/12
They knew that you would complain about it not being a separate option if they combined it into a package.
BTW, I have it on my S60 T5 and love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
cr_driver says:
09:04 AM, 02/15/12
Carroll
I agree with you, and yeah, I know now why you are the "Features Editor". ;)
tysalpha says:
10:16 AM, 02/15/12
I don't see what the complaint is here. Volvo offers you the option of buying BLIS or not ($700 option), and the Tech package (Pedestrian detection + full auto brake, queue assist, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning) or not ($2100); or buying both or neither.
You could argue that Volvo should include all of this standard... but then the review would be that Volvos are too expensive compared to competing models. So they offer the choice to buy it or not.
rollk says:
09:37 AM, 02/16/12
i thought city safety (pedestrian detection) was standard on the S60?