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- The new Volvo S90 is an alternative to the Mercedes E-Class
- Volvo XC90 – The noble Swedish giant
- The previous model looks a bit clumsy
- So at risk are those who don’t wear seat belts in the back seat
- Nobody should die in a Volvo anymore
- The Volvo for fans of sailing
- The commitment to the four-cylinder engine also applies to the S90
- This is what the third generation of the Superb looks like
The new Volvo S90 is an alternative to the Mercedes E-Class
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The new Volvo flagship S90 looks very wide and …
Source: Volvo
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… Also clearly exceeds its predecessor, the S80, in length: the new car is now 4.96 meters.
Source: Volvo
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The concave radiator grille with 23 vertical ribs looks aggressive to some, design boss Thomas Ingenlath calls the S90 face "confident and strong". Important design element…ment …
Source: Volvo
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… like the XC90 is the daytime running light called “Thor’s Hammer”.
Source: Volvo
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Forecast: When revising after three or four years, the rear in particular will be due – in contrast to the very clear design of the front and profile, it looks indecisive.
Source: Volvo
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Volvo used a lot of leather, wood and some chrome in the interior of the S90. design and …
Source: Volvo
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… Processing meet the highest demands. As in the XC90, it is new …
Source: Volvo
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… vertical central display. The format is unusual for viewing the navigation system, but other important areas (telephone, air conditioning, entertainment) are not …hidden and can be brought to the foreground with a tap on the touchscreen.
Source: Volvo
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For a surcharge, the S90 is able to recognize large animals running on the road and automatically initiates emergency braking if necessary.
Source: Volvo
With the new S90, Volvo is building an alternative to the Mercedes E-Class. The Swedish flagship challenges the German competition with the most important technology – with two new assistance systems.
D.he designers are the kings. You have suspected this for a long time, but if proof had still been required, it would have been received at the world premiere of the Volvo S90. This new flagship, a stately 4.96 meters long, is important for the Swedish brand for many reasons. In Gothenburg you also learn something about the technical features of the car – but above all you learn something about the finesse of the design.
Thomas Ingenlath, top Volvo designer, comes on stage, and he stays there too. Pictures and films illustrate his lecture, he tastes every edge of light and shows animated graphics that illustrate the differences to the previous model S80.
And then Thomas Ingenlath talks about it. And talk and talk and talk. Not boring, no, but the designer speaks much, much longer than the head of development had previously presented – not to mention the few words of the CEO.
When asked about it later, Ingenlath grins all over his face. “You can wake me up at night and I’ll explain everything about our new design to you straight away.” In fact, after the second generation of the XC90 SUV model, the S90 is now making it clear where the Volvo image is headed.
Volvo XC90 – The noble Swedish giant
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The cliche demands that SUVs are depicted in front of a rustic backdrop. The Volvo XC90 may not have outstanding off-road capabilities, but it does have all-wheel drive and the like…nd…
Source: Stefan Anker
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…sufficient ground clearance. The best-selling model in the range is the D5 diesel with 225 hp. On the design…
Source: Stefan Anker
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…And there is little to complain about in terms of workmanship. In addition to the touchscreen in the center console, the multifunction steering wheel stands out. Particularly noble…
Source: Stefan Anker
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…the start-stop switch is advised. The car can be equipped with a second rear bench for a surcharge. But even if all the places are taken,…
Source: Stefan Anker
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a trunk volume of 314 liters is available. When benches are folded down, they become…
Source: Stefan Anker
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…a remarkable 1868 liters. The Volvo XC90 D5 is 4.95 meters long. In the simplest version, Kinetic, it costs 53,700 euros.
Source: Stefan Anker
Both cars are not just Ingenlath’s calling card, they also serve as reference objects for the engineers. When it came up to Ingenlath to switch from VW to Volvo four years ago, the change was also made with the new architecture of the Volvo models made palatable. And only then was the new design possible at all.
In the meantime it has become fashionable to work with platforms, architectures, and construction kits – the names differ, but what is always meant is the same: maximum flexibility under the sheet metal while using many identical parts and reducing costs.
In addition, the cars are prepared for all conceivable types of drive without having to change anything on the basic substructure. This is the only way for large corporations like Volkswagen (almost ten million cars a year) to cope with the variety of models – and small brands like Volvo (almost 500,000 cars) do the same.
The previous model looks a bit clumsy
The new architecture at Volvo is called SPA, and one day it will accommodate all larger models from the (still planned) long version of the S90 down to the mid-range S60. SPA is flexible in length and width, only one dimension is fixed: Dash to axle, the distance from the dashboard to the front axle.
You can see how important this is when you place the aging S80 next to the new model. “The front axle moved 15 centimeters forward and the cab 25 centimeters back,” says Ingenlath, and that not only stretches the car visually, but also gives it such a dynamic appearance that the poor S80 almost looks clumsy on the other hand.
So at risk are those who don’t wear seat belts in the back seat
One in ten Germans is not so careful with the seat belt on the back seat. But it is precisely there that not wearing seat belts is particularly dangerous. New crash test results show how. Source: The World
"Good-bye Mondeo proportions, hello premium," says Ingenlath – an allusion to the time when Volvo lived under the umbrella of the Ford concern and partially took over its technology. To this day, until the S80 is phased out, this still has an effect, although Volvo has been part of the Chinese Geely Group for five years.
Those interested in the S90 will only experience in the second half of 2016 that the new platform not only enables an attractive car, but can also set new standards in terms of driving dynamics – it will take that long before the car comes onto the market (then also as Station wagon V90).
The “world” was able to test drive the chassis of the S90 for a short time, once it went over the Nordschleife in the brand new Volvo simulator (very impressive, but it can also get a little nauseous), and then there is actually on the Volvo test track an old S80 equipped with the S90 chassis.
Nobody should die in a Volvo anymore
Compared to an unchanged S80 that was driven in parallel, the new model’s tuning and steering are much more confident and manageable. Head of development Peter Mertens always emphasizes that Volvo doesn’t want to build “racing cars”, but rather focus on comfort and predictability of the driving experience. In other words, you don’t expect a Volvo S90 to be as tight as an Audi, but the Swedish car will willingly follow its driver even during hectic evasive maneuvers.
Whereby: Evasive maneuvers may soon be over, because Mertens claims that Volvo is playing a pioneering role in a very current field of development. “Nobody can deliver autonomous cars like Volvo,” says the development board member, referring to the S90’s autopilot function, which not only works in traffic jams, but also at speeds up to 130 km / h.
For legal reasons, the driver still has to rest one hand on the steering wheel, but he no longer has to steer himself, the car does that. Autonomous lane changing will also be possible by 2017 at the latest, because then Volvo’s Drive-me project will start: 100 cars will go to customers who will find their way around the multi-lane ring roads of Gothenburg autonomously.
The Volvo for fans of sailing
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Inspired by the Ocean Race, one of the toughest sailing races in the world, Volvo has created the “Ocean Race” special model of the V40, Volvo V40 Cross Country (photo), V60 and XC60 models…s program recorded.
Source: Stefan Anker
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Our test car was equipped with an in-line four-cylinder with 245 hp and all-wheel drive.
Source: Stefan Anker
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Special model or no special model. Nothing has changed in terms of the rather measly cargo volume. This is still 335 liters with full seating, and 1032 Lite with the seats folded down…r.
Source: Stefan Anker
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The very good seats in the Volvo deserve great praise. They are sporty and firm and yet very comfortable – ideal for driving longer distances.
Source: Volvo
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Officially, the Volvo V40 Cross Country is a five-seater, but you don’t really want to sit in the middle at the back. The designers have probably also recognized this and therefore e…A wide armrest and cup holder for the passengers in the rear are built in.
Source: Volvo
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Volvo is the main sponsor of the regatta around the world. The Ocean Race lettering can be found in some places on the special model. It adorns the front wheel arches as well as the entrance…sleisten, …
Source: Volvo
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… the seats, and if you look closely, then …
Source: Volvo
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… you can discover the individual stations of the sailing regatta in miniature writing on the side of the center console.
Source: Volvo
Since a characteristic of the autonomous car is the defensive driving style, there should be less tight situations on the roads, which ultimately helps to reduce the number of accidents. Volvo’s credo has long been that from 2020 “nobody should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo”, as Volvo boss Hakan Samuelsson emphasized at the S90 presentation.
Another protective function for this ambitious goal is already available in the S90: Volvo has further developed the City Emergency Brake Assist so that it is no longer only possible to brake fully in front of other cars, pedestrians or cyclists in the city.
The system is now also able to recognize large animals walking in front of the car on the country road. "Moose, horses and cows" is what Peter Mertens calls the animal species that are already identified by cars today. "And it’s our turn to deer, wild boars and kangaroos."
The difficulty with this assistance system is, on the one hand, the reliable detection of different animal shapes (which must not be confused with bushes or hedges) and, on the other hand, the system responds even faster than pedestrian or cyclist detection. "That sounds so simple, but animals usually appear out of nowhere," says Mertens, "very short reaction times are necessary."
The commitment to the four-cylinder engine also applies to the S90
None of this will be included in the basic S90, which should cost just under 40,000 euros. But it underlines Volvo‘s efforts to offer an alternative to what the German market leaders in the upper middle class have in their range.
The tenor in Gothenburg is always that one is different from the others. Hence the special developments in terms of autonomy and security. Therefore the installation of two smartphone interfaces in the S90, namely Apple Car Play and Android Auto. Hence the commitment to the four-cylinder as the sole source of power, also for the large models.
This is what the third generation of the Superb looks like
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The Skoda Superb has so far been considered an inexpensive, if somewhat staid alternative to the VW Passat. The conservative is now giving way to attractive forms, and modern technologies are also adhering to…train.
Source: Skoda
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The new Superb measures 4.86 meters and the wheelbase is 2.84 meters. That is eight centimeters more than the previous model and at least five centimeters more than the VW Passat.
Source: Skoda
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The Skoda flagship is available in conjunction with the 125 hp 1.4 liter petrol engine from 24,590 euros.
Source: Skoda
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The Skoda designers didn’t take any chances in the cockpit. The instruments and the display are arranged according to known and familiar guidelines. A digital speedometer or similar…the other gadgets don’t exist.
Source: Skoda
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The Superb can impress, for example, with its huge trunk volume.
Source: Skoda
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When fully seated, 625 liters fit in the rear, with the rear seat folded down up to 1760 liters. A top figure for a sedan.
Source: Skoda
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Skoda offers the new Superb with five petrol engines from 125 to 280 hp and three diesels from 120 to 190 hp. Customers have even more to decide when it comes to equipment and extras…as. 152 items are included in the price list. Company boss Vahland promises: "We will pack everything in what the group shelf has."
Source: Skoda
As in the XC90, only the newly developed two-liter turbo is used in the S90, either as gasoline or diesel, with outputs between 190 and 400 hp – the most powerful variant is a plug-in hybrid, which means that it derives its power from the combination Gasoline and electric motor.
By 2020, the share of electric drive systems in new registrations is to be increased to ten percent – from 2019, a purely electric vehicle will also be involved, although Head of Development Mertens does not want to give any details yet.
Finally, two sentences about trying out the S90. First: You can tell how big the car is on the inside, space is nowhere a problem, not even in the back. Second: The workmanship is of a very high standard, and the combination of leather, wood, chrome and the vertical touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard is class – and shows once again how great the influence of the design department was.
The trip to the presentation of the S90 was supported by Volvo. You can find our standards of transparency and journalistic independence at www.axelspringer.de/unabhaengigkeit
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