Why Volvo

The phrase soccer mom generally refers to a married middle-class woman who lives in the suburbs and has school age children. She is sometimes portrayed in the media as busy or overburdened and driving a minivan .  She is also portrayed as putting the interests of her family, and most importantly her children, ahead of her own.

The phrase “Volvo Driving Soccer Mom” became famous with the release of a song with the same name from the music group Everclear.  The song describes  Volvo driving soccer moms  as  wild child’s (even  porn stars) in high school and college but later grow up to be  more conservative “mothers” when they decide it would be to their advantage.   In the earlier part of the song, and describes the subjects’ lives later on as “blonde, bland, middle-class Republican lives.”

Everclear “Volvo Driving Soccer Mom” Lyrics

Na-na na-na na-na na-na na-na na-na

You know I used to be a bad girl
I got busy in the bathroom
at my high school
prom
Yeah I used to be a dancer at the local strip club
But now I know my right wing from my wrong

Yeah, yeah

I really used to be a bad girl
I had a threesome with my sister and her boyfriend tom
I know I used to be a real wild child
But now I am a volvo-driving soccer mom

Na-na na-na na-na na-na na-na na-na

I really used to be a bad girl
I got busted for possession of my wizard-shaped bong
I used to love to do the things they tell me not to do
But now Im different–now I sing a new song

I really used to be a bad girl
I got gang-banged in the bathroom at my high school prom
Yes, I used to be a real wild child
But now I am a volvo-driving soccer mom

Na-na na-na na-na na-na na-na na-na

Where do all the porn stars go
When the lights go down?
I wonder where all the porn stars go
cause when you need one, they are never around

I think they moved out to the suburbs
And now theyre blonde, bland, middle-class republican wives
They all have blonde, bland, middle-class republican children
Blonde, bland, middle-class republican lives

Where do all the porn stars go
When the lights go down?
I think I know where all the porn stars go
They all become volvo-driving soccer moms

Volvo has a great site related to thier Heritage.  This site is a must for all Volvo enthusiasts.  This site has information on the history of Volvo, information on every model ever produced by Volvo with pictures.  Information on Volvo club throughout the world.  What parts they have available for your classic Volvo, News and an events calender to let you know whats happening around these classics.  Enjoy the site

• Main Site
• Volvo History
• Models
• Volvo Clubs
• Volvo Museum
• Volvo Parts
• Volvo Heritage news

The 2010 Volvo XC60 and the 2009 Audi Q5 are similar midsize crossovers with identical MSRP pricing: $37,200. Similarities and safety features are two very different ways of judging cars. With similarities, it’s a matter of holding the clipboard straight and checking them off. With safety, it could be a matter of checking out.

The 2010 Volvo XC60 and 2009 Audi Q5 compete in one of the fastest growing automobile market segments—the compact premium crossover. When comparing the two, it would seem the two brand’s engineers did battle over the same computer network. Feature-for-feature, they are closely matched. Look closely and there are important differences, ones that could be matters of life.

It’s no surprise that the 2010 Volvo XC60 showcases world-class safety. Continuing Volvo’s quest as a pioneer and leader in vehicle safety systems, the XC60 introduces a new world’s first. City Safety is a driver support system aimed at preventing or mitigating collisions occurring at speeds up to 18 mph. It utilizes a closing velocity sensor to help determine whether a collision is likely. Depending on the closing speed, City Safety will either pre-charge the brakes or automatically brake the XC60 to help avoid a rear-end collision or lessen its impact. You won’t find anything remotely like it on the Audi Q5.

Perhaps this is the reason Audi describes the Q5 as a “crossover vehicle for luxury car buyers who otherwise might have considered buying the Lexus RX, the BMW X3 or the Mercedes-Benz GLK.” Audi may believe it is better to avoid direct comparison with the Volvo XC60.

Why Volvo XC60

1. Audi’s first attempt at a crossover (unknown quality)
2. Volvo provides more bang for the buck. For a comparable Audi add $10,000 to the MSRP.
3. Volvo Provides better emissions, fuel economy.
4. Higher clearance: Volvo 9.1inches Q5 7.9 inches.
5. Volvo’s advanced Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC)
6. City Safety System!!!!!<
7. Space utilization, XC90 has 67.4 cubic feet of cargo capacity compared to the 57.3 cubic feet in the Q5.

There is a lot of hype about the 2010 Volvo XC60,  Volvo is pushing the crossover like no other vehicle in the past.  The XC60 is making it’s way around the US in the VOL Tour (with two dots over the “O” ).   The XC60 is making good use of social media. They have every XC60 event  being recorded on flickr.  They also have a Facebook and twitter account related to the New XC60.   Kudos to Volvo for pulling out all the stops.

THE XC60 T6 AWD BY THE NUMBERS

MSRP    $37,200

Destination Charge    $825

OPTION PACKAGES

Climate Package    $1,000

Heated front seats

Heated rear seats

Heated windshield washer nozzles

Rainsensor windshield wipers

Headlamp washers

Interior Air Quality System (IAQS)

Humidity Sensor

Technology Package    $2,700

Dynaudio® Premium Sound System,  Dolby Pro-Logic II® Surround Sound, 650-watt amplifier, 12 Dynaudio® speakers, rear seat headphone jacks, audio controls

Volvo Navigation System with Real Time Traffic, DVD map data and remote control

Rear Park Assist Camera

Collision Avoidance Package    $1,695

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)

Collision Warning with Auto Brake (CWAB)

Distance Alert (DA)

Driver Alert Control (DAC)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Convenience Package    $1,000

Grocery bag holder

12V power outlet in cargo area

Front and rear park assist

Power tailgate

Homelink remote garage door opener

OPTIONS

Black Sapphire Metallic    $525

Electric Silver Metallic    $675

Maple Red Pearl    $525

Barrents Blue    $525

Silver Metallic    $525

Lime Grass Green Pearl    $525

Savile Grey Pearl    $525

Terra Bronze Pearl    $525

Dual onboard two-stage child booster seats with adaptive seatbelts and power child rear door locks    $495

Dual Xenon with Gas Discharge Headlights with Active Bending Light    $800

Blind Spot Information System (BLIS)    $695

Personal Car Communicator (PCC) with Keyless drive    $550

Nordic Light Oak inlays    $295

Panorama moonroof n/c

continue reading…

A couple of days ago, when I tried to start my 2005 S80, I received a message “Start prevented, Try again.” Not a good thing to happen at 5:30 in the morning, especially when I needed to get to work.  I had no clue what this message meant, so I quickly found the owners manual in the glove compartment. The only thing I could find was related to the battery in the key fob.  I ran into the house and grab my other key fob and valet key.  The message persisted with all keys so after 30 minutes of trying, I gave up and took my old un-inspected F150 to work.

Around 9am I contacted the Dealer regarding the issue.  Dealer stated that it was related to the immobilizer. Immobilizer??? Do I own a Transformer and is Megan Fox going to appear at any moment?  Then, he went on to state that I should have it towed in to be looked at.  OK, this wasn’t sounding good.  I would have to pay for towing, the diagnostics and parts and labor..I was not happy at this moment.  I stated to him, “Can I buy the part?”  That put the Volvo service manager into a state of panic.  He said, “I can or you can contact the parts department, but I was just making an assumption it may be something else we need to look at.”  I told the dealer I would call him back.

Enter the Internet, a beautiful thing created for times like this. Without the Internet I would have had my S80 towed,  diagnosed and paid for parts and service.   After extensive research in which some items did talk about faulty  immobilizer antenna rings,  I found a great post at VolvoXC.com: “Start prevented, Try again” episode.   I took this information home with me and  I used the method identified in the post by “brick”  which stated:  “The dealer locked/unlocked 5 times in a row with the remote, which resets the immobilizer, and he was on the way.“  Guess what, my S80 started right up!

Things to try before getting the dealer involved!

• Lock and unlock your Volvo using the key fob.
• Try your other fob.
• Change the battery in your key fob
• If you have more than one key fob on your key chain, remove it and try again. The other fob could be causing interference with the immobilizer.  NOTE: This includes non-Volvo key fobs.
• If nothing else works, replace the immobilizer antenna.
• If you replaced the antenna and still have issues.  Well, it’s dealer time!

Below are some test drive videos from Consumer Reports and Edmonds on Volvo’s. If you find any more please add them in a comment.

2007 S80 Volvo

C30

2007 C70 Convertible

2007 XC70

2007 XC90