The new S80 is Volvo’s most sophisticated vehicle to date – in terms of performance, sleek design, luxury and, of course, safety.
Volvo Cars has a holistic approach to safety, which encompasses both preventive and protective safety. Preventive safety – the avoidance of accidents – was one of the most important starting points when the S80 was being developed. It led to the creation of an entirely new generation of advanced driving and support systems.
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) uses a radar sensor to help the driver maintain the distance to the vehicle in front. Collision Warning with Brake Support (CW) helps avoid rear-end impacts, minimising the risk of such collisions.
The Volvo S80 is also equipped with BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) as an option and IDIS (Intelligent Driver Information System) as standard, two innovations that help the driver maintain better control over the traffic situation. BLIS registers if another vehicle is in the offset rear blind spot alongside the car and alerts the driver via a visual signal. IDIS helps stop the driver being distracted by non-essential information in pressing situations, for instance by delaying incoming phone calls or SMS.
Active Bending Lights – moving headlamp beams that follow the curvature of the road – help maintain the best possible visibility in the dark on twisting roads.
Personal Car Communicator (PCC) is an advanced control centre in pocket format. At the touch of a button, the car owner can instantly find out whether …
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the car is locked or unlocked
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the alarm has been activated
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the alarm has been set off and someone is inside the car.
Protective safety in the Volvo S80 is structured in the form of a network of exterior and interior safety systems that interact to reduce the risk of occupant injury in the event of a collision. The exterior systems have the task of distributing and absorbing incoming collision forces so that the passenger space is preserved as intact as possible. The body is therefore built in the form of a box-section structure using varying grades of steel, with all the components interacting to provide controlled deformation.
Like the rest of the Volvo range, the Volvo S80 features a transversely installed engine and front-wheel drive. Transverse engine installation provides more deformation space in the engine compartment and helps reduce the risk of engine intrusion into the passenger compartment in a frontal collision. The larger six-cylinder engines have also been installed transversely in the S80 model thanks to their extremely compact dimensions and effective packaging.
The purpose of the interior safety systems is to keep the passengers securely in place and to minimise the risk of serious injuries. In order to provide the most effective protection possible, Volvo Cars has developed a number of unique systems. Side-impact airbag makes Volvo’s patented SIPS (Side Impact Protection System) even more effective. The side-impact airbags feature two separate inflation chambers – one at hip height and one at chest height. Since the hips can withstand greater impact than the chest can, the lower chamber is inflated at five times higher pressure than the upper section. The side-impact airbags interact with the inflatable curtains (IC) and the vehicle body’s network of beams to protect as effectively as possible.
Volvo’s system for avoiding neck injuries – WHIPS (Whiplash Protection System) – is one of the most effective on the market. In the event of a severe impact from the rear, the front seat backrest and head restraint move together with the occupant’s body, thus damping its movement much like the way the arms move rearward when catching a ball. In the latest generation of WHIPS, the system’s function has been further developed to provide an even smoother “catching” motion.
All five seats are equipped with three-point inertia reel safety belts, belt pre-tensioners and head restraints. The highest possible safety requires that all occupants always use their safety belts.
