WHAT MAKES A VOLVO A VOLVO ?

For decades, those who have invested in a Volvo sedan or wagon have been rewarded with more than quality and dependability. Their Volvo, through the years of dedicated service, has become a family member. 

The 1999 Volvo S70/V70's and S90/V90's carry on that tradition of exceptional value, service and safety. 

What qualities do you hold most important in your search for the automobile best able to ensure and enhance the well-being of yourself and your family? 

If occupant safety, creature comforts, consistent performance, predictable handling, durability, dependability and value for the dollar head your list, we invite you to consider our line of automobiles. 

Every Volvo helps protect you with one of the world's most sophisticated, intelligent and rugged occupant safety designs, Functioning as a total integrated occupant protection system, the 1999 Volvo S70/V70's and S90/V90's is engineered to position the driver and passengers in an environment that helps to minimize the potential for injury. 

Effective automotive safety design is composed of two distinct components - 

Dynamic Safety, the ability to avoid an accident and 
Passive Safety, the ability to minimize injury should an accident occur. 

To a significant degree Dynamic Safety is a function of handling and predictability. The Volvo's tuned suspension, responsive steering and 4-wheel disc, ABS braking translate into exceptional control, nimble handling and consistent performance. 

Passive Safety design takes over in the split second that an accident occurs. Another way of looking at passive safety is as effective energy management. How can a car's design dissipate the energy of a collision to help protect the occupants ? 

The Volvo High Strength Steel Safety Cage:

Volvos have long had anti-intrusion bars built into all four doors. The Volvo 960 series uses tubular steel bars welded inside the door frames to add strength. The Volvo 850 series uses a steel profile bar in place of the tubular design. A special High Strength Steel safety cage provides a rigid perimeter of occupant protection. Surrounding that rigid cage, a network of sacrificial members help absorb the energy of am impact and serves as a buffer. Energy absorbing structures help to dissipate the energy of a full frontal or rear impact. Other structures exist that are designed to help absorb and redirect the impact of an "offset" frontal impact. 

A wide transverse beam crosses the floor panel for greatly increased strength and resistance when hit from the side. Roof cross panels also help absorb and dissipate the impact of a side collision. 

Seat Belts:

Three-point seat belts with head restraints are standard for all five seating positions including the center rear. Front seat belts offer pyrotechnic pretensioners that are designed to tighten the seat belt in the event of certain frontal impacts. 

We use a specially designed polyester tested to withstand loads up to 7,900 pounds. By comparison, that's more than twice the weight of the car itself. Seatbelts made of another material can stretch, thus giving you less protection. 

Please remember, the three-point seatbelt is your first line of defense during an accident; airbag systems are designed to offer additional protection during certain impacts of sufficient force. 

These systems are designed to work together to help protect and minimize accident injury for passengers that are properly positioned and properly wearing their seatbelts. 

Volvo's patented Side Impact Protection System (SIPS):

According to the US. Department of Transportation's NHTSA General Estimates System, of nearly 6.5 million police reported accidents on US. roads in 1990, 31% were side impacts-resulting in 84,000 injuries. Side impacts put occupants in a very vulnerable position: only the doors and window posts stand between driver or passengers and the force of collision. 

SIPS provides a robust protective system designed to help absorb the energy of side impacts through structural members in the sills, floor, pillars, seats, center console, roof and doors. 

Volvo's SIPS - Side Impact Protection System. The Side Airbags are designed to deploy in the event of certain side impacts. The SIPS BAG is engineered to act as a barrier between the seat occupant and the door. It is a mechanical unit that is full self contained in the seat. The bag is mounted in the seat back to provide the best position relative to the seat occupant. The Side Impact Bag is triggered when a collision force pushes the inner door into the seat frame where the sensor is located. A firing pin within the sensor strikes a percussion cap which sends a "pressure wave" up the igniter line which is built into the seat. This activates two gas generators that inflate one after another allowing the bag to inflate quickly and stay inflated longer. The inflated bag pushes out through the seam in the upholstery on the outboard side of the seatback. The bag moves forward and outward along the door panel as it inflates. The bag then deflates through two holes in the side as pressure is applied. Inflation time is approximately 12 milliseconds from impact. The front airbags and side airbags are designed to deploy in milliseconds in certain collisions to help dissipate the energy of an individual's forward motion. 

Used in conjunction with Volvo's three-point seat belts, they provide state-of-the-art protection. 

Remember !

When discussing occupant safety, it is important to remember that an air bag and seat belts are only as good as the car to which the are attached. 

Child Seat:

The Volvo range of accessories includes carefully tested child safety seats for all ages. At present, we are the only car manufactures in the world who test the child seats we have developed ourselves in full-scale collision tests on all seats in our own car models. The Volvo 850 Sportswagon is fitted with an integrated seat for children (15-36 kg) in the rear center armrest. The seat is also available on the sedan as an option. The upper section of the armrest lifts up to become the backrest and a cushion automatically folds out at the same time so that the child can sit sufficiently high up to use the standard safety belt and head restraint. The seat can be folded up out at the same time so that the child can sit sufficiently high up to use the standard safety belt and head restraint. The seat can be folded up out of sight in the armrest when not in use. 

CHILDREN !

The safest position for a child is in the rear center seating position. All children should be seated in the rear seat using the approciate restraint based on the child's size. 

Do not seat children in the front seat of the vehicle. 

Do not install/use any type of child seat in the front seat. 

Please consult your Owners manual and dealer for options, such as an integrated child booster seat or child cushions. 

Daytime Running Lights and Fog Lights:

Daytime running lights are automatically activated when the car is started and go off when the ignition is turned off. They help to enhance the visibility of your Volvo to others on the road. 

A single rear fog light is standard equipment on all 1999 Volvo models. This high intensity lamp helps make your car more visible to other drivers following on bad weather. Front fog lights are also a standard feature on the S90/V90 series. 

Climate Unit:

The climate unit has separate controls for the driver and front seat passenger. The driver can select heating, while the passenger selects cooler air. One special safety refinement: the air mix function makes it possible to direct cool air onto your face and heat from the other air vents. Important for reaction times, especially in the winter! The reticulation function shuts off the air intake completely and reticulates 100% of the air inside the passenger compartment. 

ABS Brakes, Locking Differential and Tracs Systems:

The Volvo's anti-lock braking system, Locking Differential (standard on the S90/V90 series), Tracs (traction control system option for the S70/V70, standard on all V70 AWD models), automatic transmission with winter mode and premium all-season radial tires provide peace of mind in inclement weather or when encountering slippery conditions that challenge an automobile's ability to handle predictably. These features are ever-present, ready to respond instantaneously, to assist in maintaining control in the event of a driving hazard. 

Three-channel ABS is designed to help assure that steering control is maintained even under the most severe braking conditions on varying road surfaces. 

Ventilated front disc promote quick dissipation of the heat that can diminish stopping power. 

Sensors fitted at the wheels sense the rotation of the wheels and transmit signals to a central control ABS unit. The wheels can never lock, regardless of the surface conditions, as a result of the ABS function. ABS also helps to make cornering safer, as it permits braking on a corner without jeopardizing steering ability. An activated ABS system can be heard and felt! The brake pedal vibrates and a ticking noise can be heard. 

In slippery conditions, the locking differential or tracs system transfers power to the drive wheel with the greatest traction. Thus, if one drive wheel is slipping, the power goes the wheel with the better grip. 

Steering Column:

Volvo installs a three-stage, energy absorbing system into the steering column. At the first stage of serious front-end impact, a slip coupling disengages to allow the steering wheel to collapse away from the driver. As impact forces increases, a plastic rivet will break at the second predetermined stage of pressure so the steering column can telescope down into a bellows-like sleeve. At the third stage, the lower end of the column will fold like a jackknife to help direct the steering column downward away from the driver. 

The Volvo steering wheel is also designed to absorb crash energy by deforming and aligning itself with the driver's body to spread the impact force over a wider area. 

Safety Fuel Tank:

The entire fuel tank is located in its own "safety zone." It is positioned close to the rear axle, the fuel tank is separated completely from both the passenger compartment and the trunk floor. Steel impact members are part of the overall design of every Volvo to help provide protection for the fuel tank in the event of a collision. 

Anti-Corrosion Protection:

Corrosion is not just a cosmetic issue - it's a safety issue. A car designed to resist corrosion on every surface and in every crevice will retain its structural integrity longer. 

That's why virtually all Volvo body panels are made of sheet galvanized with zinc. This process not only offers extremely effective protection against rust, but also has remarkable self-healing properties. if minor chips or scratches penetrate the paint layers to the sheet steel, zinc coating molecules will migrate from the surrounding surface to fill in and protect the damaged area. 

We factory prepare our cars with five different kinds of coatings designed to seal and protect the underbody from the moment the car leaves the assembly plant. 

Fender liners are installed in both the front and rear wheel wells to help guard against road dirt, salt spray, and oil residue. A "hot melt" is baked on all exposed underbody areas. This hot-melt coating is free from solvents, to protect the environment from industrial pollution during the manufacturing process. 

A 7-step process of painting helps the cars we build retain their value and beauty. Every car body gets primer coating bath that bonds to the metal surface and is even oven baked for even tighter primer bonding. We use a special polyester-based paint on the bottom rails, floor and area behind the wheel arch. 

Seating and Head Restraints:

Volvo designs its front and rear seats to keep drivers and passengers comfortable, alert and refreshed - even on long hours on the road. Strong, flexible wires called pullmaflex help keep the seat cushions hold their shape, comfort and support over time. 

For additional passenger safety, Volvos are built with anti-submarining structural cross-members under the seat cushion. This helps resists the tendency of a passenger's body to depress the seat cushion and slide downward beneath the seatbelt. 

A rear seat built-in child booster cushion is an available option. 

Lumbar support is also provided to help avoid driver fatigue. 

Head restraints help protect your neck in the event of a rear collision. 

Research has convinced Volvo that drivers feel more comfortable with familiar analog dials than with digital readouts. Our dashboard is easy to read. Signal and wiper levers are easy to reach without taking your hands from the wheel. 

Suspension and Steering:

Fully independent MacPherson Strut Front Suspension are designed to create a precise suspension geometry in the front-wheel camber and caster, or the angle to the road. This is one of the reasons Volvo cars "track" straight ahead so well, even on rough roads. 

Stabilizer bars are used to counteract the natural tendency of a vehicle to "roll to the outside when cornering. 

Power assisted rack and pinion offers the most control with the best steering sensivity. Drivers can always "feel" the car. The turning radius is very tight: a fraction over 32 feet. Making a U-turn or parking is a joy. The weight distribution of a car is important to handling. The S70/v70 has a 60/40 weight ration front to rear and the S90/V90 has a 51/49 ratio front to rear. Excellent handling ability. 

Specifications, features and equipment shown here are based upon the 1999 Volvo Cars Of North America New Car Brochure. Please consult that brochure for any errors or omissions.

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