LA Auto Show: Volvo's New Dash

Alex L. Dykes
by Alex L. Dykes

Volvo has been very quiet about new products since Ford sold the only Swedish car maker still afloat. With little fanfare Volvo has updated the S80 and XC70’s interior with a new dash and new infotainment system and this is the first time TTAC has seen them in person. The 7-inch color screen is the same as the system used in the new S60. Compared to iDrive and Audi’s MMI the system is just as slick-looking but the smallish screen size just lacks the wow factor the Germans get when passengers slip in the car. Along with the new screen Volvo has added pedestrian detection to the S80, XC70 and XC60 as well as a new adaptive cruise control system that will take your Volvo to a complete stop and hold you there until traffic resumes. Of course all this is secondary to the sexy new stitched pleather dash the S80 on the LA Auto Show floor was sporting. Sadly Volvo tells us they don’t anticipate putting these revised Volvos in the hands of the press for reviews, probably spending this precious cash to devise new and better nannies to save our bacon in the future.




Alex L. Dykes
Alex L. Dykes

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  • Volvo_nut Volvo_nut on Nov 19, 2011

    I just hope the dashboard lasts for 15 years and looks OK when I am in the market to replace my '93 940.

  • Alwaysinthecar Alwaysinthecar on Nov 22, 2011

    What's with the buttons on the center console? They look like little Pac Man faces.....

  • 2manyvettes Since all of my cars have V8 gas engines (with one exception, a V6) guess what my opinion is about a cheap EV. And there is even a Tesla supercharger all of a mile from my house.
  • Cla65691460 April 24 (Reuters) - A made-in-China electric vehicle will hit U.S. dealers this summer offering power and efficiency similar to the Tesla Model Y, the world's best-selling EV, but for about $8,000 less.
  • FreedMike It certainly wouldn't hurt. But let's think about the demographic here. We're talking people with less money to spend, so it follows that many of them won't have a dedicated place to charge up. Lots of them may be urban dwellers. That means they'll be depending on the current charging infrastructure, which is improving, but isn't "there" yet. So...what would help EVs more, in my opinion, is improved charging options.
  • RHD The analyses above are on the nose.It's a hell of a good car, but the mileage is reaching the point where things that should have worn out a long time ago, and didn't, will, such as the alternator, starter, exhaust system, PS pump, and so on. The interiors tend to be the first thing to show wear, other than the tires, of course. The price is too high for a car that probably has less than a hundred thousand miles left in it without major repairs. A complete inspection is warranted, of course, and then a lower offer based on what it needs. Ten grand for any 18-year-old car is a pretty good chunk of change. It would be a very enjoyable, ride, though.
  • Fred I would get the Acura RDX, to replace my Honda HR-V. Both it and the CRV seats are uncomfortable on longer trips.
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