2016 Volvo XC90: The Safety Hype Is Real

Volvo spends a lot of media dollars to spread the message that its new 2016 XC90 is one of the safest vehicles out there. Should you believe the hype? Yes. In terms of both safety equipment and crash-test scores, Volvo’s redesigned three-row SUV has many ways to keep your family safe.

Related: 2016 Volvo XC90: Car Seat Check

Volvo says the new XC90 is made with five times more ultra-strength steel than the first-generation XC90, making it tougher all around. In Insurance Institute for Highway Safety testing, the 2016 XC90 aced the agency’s rigorous stream of crash tests and received a Top Safety Pick Plus award. To qualify for the IIHS’ top score, a vehicle has to score good in all areas of testing as well as have a superior- or advanced-rated front crash prevention system with automatic braking capability.

The XC90 tested particularly well in preventive and protective safety performance thanks to a host of standard advanced safety features. Among these standard features are intersection auto brake and run-off road protection. The first automatically depresses the brakes in the event that a driver turns into oncoming traffic. The second aims to address the fact that in the U.S., almost half of all auto accident fatalities and injuries happen because a vehicle leaves the road, according to Volvo. This new feature helps to keep the vehicle in the proper lanes and on the road, and has specially designed seats that absorb many of the insidious forces that can cause spinal injuries in an off-road crash.

Volvo’s revolutionary City Safety feature is also standard on the XC90 and now has pedestrian and cyclist detection. I live in a land full of cyclists and have seen many vehicle/cyclist crashes, all of which I’d like to un-see. City Safety alerts the driver if there is a cyclist or pedestrian in his or her path and automatically applies the brakes if he or she does not react in time. City Safety also includes a rear collision warning system that uses radar to determine if another car is approaching from behind at an unsafe speed. If the XC90’s superpowers predict someone is likely to hit you from behind, the seat belts will tighten and the brakes will activate to prevent the XC90 from crashing into the car in front of it. I love this feature in that it inoculates against other people’s distraction. Genius.

Lane departure warning and road sign information are also standard features. A driver alert is another, and it does its best to monitor driving and sound the alarm when drowsiness or distractedness begins to cause erratic driving.

Though the XC90’s standard advanced safety features are plentiful, you can up the SUV’s safety strength even more by adding others. For example, the awe-worthy adaptive cruise control with Pilot Assist (part of the $1,800 Convenience Package) uses front radar and camera systems to control the speed and steering of the XC90 at speeds below 30 mph. If you live in a congested area and spend most of your time in stop-and-go traffic, this is brilliant. Cross-town traffic in my town is horrible, and Pilot Assist made it almost tolerable. It’s close to having a self-driving car, which was thrilling and a bit unnerving at the same time.

In that same vein, Park Assist Pilot is also part of the Convenience Package and assuages most parking woes. Yes, it parallel parks for you (look Ma! No hands!), and it helps you find a traditional space in a lot, automatically backs into it and sets you up for a swift getaway.

Finally, a few other available perks worth mentioning include a 360-degree surround-view camera with blind spot and cross-traffic alerts (part of the $1,800 Vision Package) that engage when the car is in Reverse and give you a clear view from the top of the car and everything around it. The built-in second-row booster seats are a longtime favorite ($250) as is the standard seat belt notification system that alerts you as to who exactly may not have a seat belt on (great for sneaky children!).

Volvo has said that by 2020 no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo, and the new 2016 XC90 makes great strides toward that goal.