In the party named subject60 (after the S60) Volvo and their friends capture such shocking behaviour as people trampling on some flowers, trying to blag their way into a VIP area and snogging in a car! The rather impressive study spanned five different cities (Berlin, London, Paris, Madrid, Milan) and conducted 35 separate experiments on no less than 3062 participants to test their naughtiness.

27 hours of research concluded that Paris is the naughty capital of Europe. Another devastating loss for England this summer.

Check out the video below to see some of the antics:

If you want to see more of the Volvo experiments head over to http://naughty.volvocars.co.uk/ where you can also design your own S60.

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New ‘Naughty’ Volvo S60: Find the Naughtiest City in Europe is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

The C30 has a 1.6L “DRIVe” diesel engines designed for fuel efficiency and optionally has start/stop capability. The “DRIVe” engine will do 72.4 miles to the gallon which works out at 828 miles on just one tank of fuel.

In the game you need to drive your Volvo to a Facebook friend who lives as close to 828 miles away as possible. Then using the principle of six degrees of separation, the car is passed on from friend to friend, moving around the world until it makes its way back to you.

Volvo will donate €15,000 to a project that fights global warming (an environmentally-friendly wind farm in Izmir, Turkey) in the name of the team that drives around the world the most efficiently. And, for everyone who plays DRIVe Around The World, Volvo will additionally offset 99 grams of CO2; so the more people play the game the better it is for everyone.

The game started just a couple of days ago and will run 80 days until February 4, 2010. If you are the captain of the winning team you will be arguably the world’s most well-connected person!

Find out more here: http://apps.facebook.com/drivearoundtheworld/

Volvo’s New Facebook Game – DRIVe Around The World in 80 Days is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

Volvo is proving to be a popular car choice in the UK this year.  At a time when the new car market is down three per cent year on year, Volvo is seeing a sales increase of 20 per cent year to date, from 17,709 units January to July 2007 to 21,155 for the same period in 2008.

The introduction of the sporty R-DESIGN package on Volvo C30, S40 and V50 has been well received by UK customers and the current top model performers are the Volvo C30, with a sales increase of 96 per cent year on year and the Volvo V50, Volvo’s UK best-selling model, which has already outperformed its full year 2007 results of 5576 units, and is up 93 per cent with 6151 registrations year to date.

“We’ve experienced a high level of interest in the Volvo range this year and we are confident this strong performance will continue throughout the rest of 2008. The addition of 2.0-litre engine derivatives in the Volvo V70 and S80, the new Powershift gearbox in Volvo C30, C70, S40 and V50 and the new sub 225g/km XC90 D5 Geartronic further widens our offering to both retail and corporate customers,” comments Nick Connor, Volvo Car UK sales director.

Fleet sales up nearly 70 per cent
The fleet sector, in particular, has seen great success with a 67.7 percent rise in end user fleet sales, for the first seven months of 2008 over the same period in 2007 (6,405 cars compared with 3,819 Jan to July 2007).

The Volvo S40 and V50 have seen the biggest improvement following the model design refresh last year, a specification realignment to enable easier like-for-like comparisons with premium competitors, and the introduction of the new R-DESIGN specification. These two models also recorded the largest fleet sales increase in the range, with S40 up 86% percent and the V50 Sportswagon up a staggering 176% percent year on year.

R-DESIGN improves RVs further
Used value guide CAP has responded favourably to R-DESIGN with recent future residual value forecasts increasing on the new trim levels. While CAP has reduced average trade price forecasts by 2.9% across the entire UK car sector, it has actually increased values on S40 and V50 – for instance the V50 2.0D R-DESIGN Sport on a typical three year 60,000 mile operating period has increased by over 6% (£7,575 – £8,050).

“It’s great to see a positive reaction from company motorists and the used value guides to our realignment. As a result the Volvo range is now more established in the company car policy hierarchy which will allow for more sustainable growth. A strong order pipeline also shows the steady increased demand for our product,” said John Wallace, Volvo’s Corporate Sales & Leasing Manager.

Volvo rated no. 1 for customer satisfaction
Volvo has also just achieved the number 1 position in the automotive sector in the UK for customer service in a recent survey by the Institute of Customer Service.  This independent organisation asked 12,000 people about their experience of companies from a number of industries.

UK Sales Success For Volvo is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

Performance and technical specifications
The new Volvo XC60 launches with three engine variants – two diesels and one petrol.  Six speed manual transmission is standard on both the 2.4D and D5 turbo diesel powerplants with six speed Geartronic available as a £1,400 option, while the high performance T6 petrol engine is available in six speed Geartronic guise only. 

The frugal 163PS 2.4D and 185PS D5 variants with manual transmission both deliver 37.7mpg on a combined cycle with CO2 emissions of 199g/km.  Joining the manual in VED band F is the Geartronic version, at 219g/km.  The popular D5 diesel engine generates 400Nm torque at 2000-2750rpm, while the entry level 2.4D offers 340Nm torque at 1750-2750rpm.  The 285PS T6 petrol is capable of a top speed of 130mph and offers a brisk 0 to 60 performance of 7.1 seconds, while delivering 400Nm torque from 1500 to 4800rpm. Fuel consumption is 23.7mpg with CO2 emissions of 284g/km.

Equipment levels
With three trim levels, S, SE and SE Lux, available, the entry-level S model comes with all the high quality features you would expect from Volvo including front fog lights, 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails and rear spoiler; while interior details include electronic climate control, information centre, cruise control, leather steering wheel with remote audio controls, brushed aluminium trim and a performance sound audio system with aux input and CD player. The award winning Volvo City Safety technology is joined by a full suite of standard safety equipment including RSC (Roll Stability Control), ROPS (Roll Over Protection System) and WHIPS (Whiplash Protection System).

The SE specification enhances equipment levels with the addition of Hill Descent Control, electric driver’s seat with three memory functions and Autofolding power door mirrors with ground lights. Added luxury also includes Eriksberg T-Tec/Textile upholstery and autodimming rear view mirrors with compass and chrome window trim.

The SE Lux is the ultimate in Swedish luxury, featuring chronographic instrument dials, leather upholstery, Nordic Light Oak natural wood trim and both front seats are both powered and heated. Further enhancements include luxury floor mats and chrome detailing. 18-inch alloy wheels, active bending headlamps, power tailgate and rear park assist are also all standard.

Styling and options
The Volvo XC60 will be available in 13 different exterior colours including the new Terra Bronze and Lime Grass Green metallic and the interior benefits from the finest materials and superb stitching to give a high quality finish. Upholstery includes Lomma textile available in S models, Eriksberg T-Tec/Textile in SE specifications and leather-faced in the top of the range SE Lux. Colours include Off-Black and Soft Beige, while those opting for leather-faced will have the choice of Off-Black with the new striking Lemon Green and Soft Beige with Espresso Brown. To complement the interior themes, three inlays are available to choose from including Brushed Aluminium, Classic Wood and Nordic Light Oak.

Volvo’s popular option packages are also available, including the Communications, Family and Winter Packs, plus the new Driver Support Pack which includes a host of Volvo’s safety aids including BLIS (Blind Sport Information System), ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) and LDW (Lane Departure Warning).

Go configure!
Customers can configure their own Volvo XC60 online in the ‘Build Your Own’ section of the Volvo website http://www.volvocars.co.uk/. The configuration tool allows customers to build and price a vehicle to their personal choice of engine, trim level, colour, upholstery and options.

Volvo Announces Specification for XC60 is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars