This is not what you want to see while driving to a barbeque on a holiday weekend.
The Volvo XC60 has three levels of warning: Tire Pressure Low, Check Tires, and Tire Pressure Very Low. But it doesn't tell you which tire is the culprit. So, I had to stop and check all four. Luckily I hadn't been driving for very long, so the tires were still fairly cold.
The problem tire was the rear passenger side. I inflated it to the proper pressure and the warning light went out. I continued on my merry way, keeping an eye on the gauges in case I had an actual problem with the tire. The XC60 will check inflation pressure levels when the vehicle reaches a speed of 20 mph.
Fortunately, it was fine the rest of the weekend.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 21,032 miles
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
Should I park the Volvo XC60 under Sweden or China?
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @ 20,937 miles
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
Several months ago, Deputy Managing Editor Caroline Pardilla blogged about her experience with the Volvo XC60's message center and its seat belt nanny.
This morning, during our race to school for the first day of fifth grade, my daughter thought she buckled-up in the rear seat's center position, but she didn't push the buckle in all the way.
The Volvo promptly ratted her out.
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @ 20,915 miles
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
Many of us here have admired the interior of our long-term 2010 Volvo XC60 T6.
Let's take an animated tour of the interior, courtesy Volvo media.
Albert Austria, Senior Engineer @ 20,900 miles
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
Just prior to Riswick's thorough cleaning of our Volvo's steering wheel, I snapped this shot of the turn signal stalk. Look odd to you? Well, it did to me. Can't remember seeing any kind of steering wheel stalk that wasn't dead straight, regardless of whether it was easy to reach or not.
I never really noticed it from behind the wheel. All I noticed was that the turn signal was easy to reach. And that, my friends, is a nice little piece of design work on Volvo's part. Oh, and that "read" button on the end of the stalk? That would be an example of poor design. Can't win them all.
Ed Hellwig, Editor, Inside Line @ 20,820 miles
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
Many staffers here have complimented the blonde wood center stack on our long-term 2010 Volvo XC60 T6. I was admiring it myself this weekend and noticed something.
When I ran my fingers along the surface of the center stack, I noticed that the wood seemed unfinished -- not covered with polyurethane or lacquer. It's pretty nice, and adds to the Ikea-like ambience.
It's difficult to convey this tactile sensation by description so I'll try using Caroline's macro technique in the photo below.
I'm not sure if this unfinished wood will hold up over time, but it certainly looks good today.
Albert Austria, Senior Engineer @ 20,800 miles
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
This blog was going to be written thusly:
"Volvo has been doing these light-colored wheel rims since at least the 1990s, and while they look great when new, they also look like horrid crap once a few years go by. When we got our long-term Volvo XC60 with this light-colored wheel I wondered how long it would take to starting looking like horrid crap. Well, I'm not sure the exact moment it made the turn, but as I drove into work this morning I looked down and was appalled by its grossness. Just look at that picture. Yuck. As such, buying the light-colored wheel is a terrible idea."
But then I realized that wouldn't be very constructive. Instead, I thought "how easy is it to clean the wheel in order to prevent it from looking like horrid crap?
Continue reading...
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
You all know by now -- and thanks to a reader for reminding us -- that Edward Cullen is partial to Volvos. He drove a Volvo C30 in the Twilight movie and a gray Volvo XC60 in New Moon.
In the book, however, Edward drives a different car, a silver Volvo S60R. But the book came out in 2005 and that car was out of production so the movie producers went with a newer Volvo.
According to Stephenie Meyer's official Web site, she leans on her two car enthusiast brothers when making decisions about what her characters drive. They told her, for example, that Edward can't just drive the Volvo S60, it has to be the R.
Check out her site for a full list of vehicles from all of the Twilight saga books. They differ from the movies. But beware, if you haven't gotten through all of the books yet, there are some spoilers.
You're all avid Twilight readers, right?
So, if you were going to live forever, what would you choose to drive?
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
Last night and today I drove our long-term 2010 Volvo XC60, the first staffer to drive it any significant distance after a load-bearing concrete pillar hit it.
And I'm happy to report that I found no evidence of the damage from driving it (although I did not closely inspect body panels for fit and finish.)
There were no rattles or crunching noises, and the car tracked straight on the highway.
I didn't toss it around, but I don't think handling was affected either.
Albert Austria, Senior Engineer @ 20,535 miles
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
Our 2010 Volvo XC60 is back. A sincere idiot took it from us almost 5 weeks ago but now all is forgiven. Almost. What once was bare metal is again covered with shiny new paint. Every one of the dents, dings, fractures, scratches, scrapes, scuffs, gouges, creases, contusions, lacerations, and swirlies are gone. Those too are now hidden beneath shiny new paint. But it did cost more than expected.
Total Days out of Service: 12 days
Total Cost: $4,904.45
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 20,505 miles
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
Have you ever wondered what it's like to do my job? Some days are great. Other days start off with a Post-It note like this on my keyboard. Have you also wondered why our 2010 Volvo XC60 is missing from the blog lately? Take the jump.
Continue reading...
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
Much has been said about the seat heaters in our 2010 Volvo XC60 T6-- specifically that they don't get very hot-- but what hasn't been mentioned is this car's memory feature. Say it's cold at night and you've got the seat heaters on, well, chances are good that in the morning it's also going to be cold and you'll want the seat heaters on. Most cars require you to, gasp, re-push that button to get your butt warm again. But not our Volvo, it remembers what you like and how not-exactly-hot-but-still-warm-enough you like your seats. It's a nice feature and the best thing I've found short of a rigid toggle switch.
Mike Magrath, Associate Editor, Inside Line
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
Driving to work this morning, I was minding my own business. Then I noticed a car driving right next to me. I mean the same speed right next to me. I hate that.
So, I looked to my right as if to say WTF and I noticed that he was not even looking. He was texting and starting to drift into my lane. If I could give tickets, you know like a citizen's arrest, I would have pulled him over, fined him heavily, smacked him upside the head and tossed his phone into a nearby sewer.
I mean what the hell. Is your text message worth hitting someone? What if you ran into a telephone pole? Would you lol?
Fortunately, I was driving the quick-reacting Volvo XC60. I punched it instead of him and was able to leave him behind. This woke him up. I don't know how long his attention span lasted after that but at least he wasn't driving next to me anymore.
Don't text and drive!
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 20,491 miles
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
Now we have two vehicles in the long-term fleet with pictogram climate controls: the Volvo XC60 and the Hyundai Sonata. They don't work in exactly the same way, however. The XC60's directional man has separate buttons to direct airflow to the head, body and feet. The Sonata's directional man (or mode man, perhaps, seeing as how he's labeled as such) is comprised of just one button; his head is just for display. The way he works is that pushing the button cycles through the various air flow modes. 
I'm preferential to the Volvo's directional man since I can get what I want immediately; I don't like having to push a button a bunch of times to call up what air flow I want. That said, I do like the Sonata's big arrows that show air flow and the fan speed/temperature knobs, which are rubberized and feel nice to the touch.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD,2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS
As straight-six engines go, Volvo's turbocharged 3.0-liter doesn't get much respect. This despite nearly matching the output numbers of the world's most famous force-fed six, the BMW 3.0-liter.
I suppose there are reasons why. The Volvo's wheezy exhaust note is one issue. I suppose the fact that it's mounted sideways doesn't help its street cred either.
These things aside, however, the Volvo's engine isn't bad at all. It moves the XC60 quickly off the line and it's no lightweight. The power delivery is smooth too. A little bit of a peak is detectable, but nothing that makes it feel ill-suited to an SUV. Maybe it needs better marketing.
Ed Hellwig, Editor, Inside Line @ 20,472 miles
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
