The luxury European brand Volvo has long been associated with safety and technology, but how do they fare when it comes to families?
Safety Prioritised
Swedish carmaker, Volvo has been the industry leader in safety for decades. Some time ago they moved on from safety and into abject luxury, and now they are moving into a new direction. Volvo’s cars have long been associated with family life and are geared towards the nuclear family.
As Volvo focuses on the future we take a look at their current local lineup to see if these cars are still geared towards the family unit.
Sedans and Estates
As the popularity of sedans and estates fades, Volvo currently only offers an S90 sedan and V90 estate. These vehicles have reached the pinnacle of where they can go development-wise and feature mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid technology. Sadly these vehicles will silently disappear as the world’s hunger for SUVs takes its toll.
The S and V branded vehicles are ideal for city-dwelling folk who need space for the family during day to day driving in the city but also need that extra space for a trip out to the countryside and in Europe are highly prised family cars.
SUVs
For a number of years now Volvo’s SUV lineup, namely the XC40, 60, and 90 has taken over the bulk of Volvo’s sales locally. These are fantastic family cars for our local conditions and are equipped with the same mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid tech that Volvo has developed in the sedans and this makes the Volvo perfect for whichever sized family you may have and able to suit most budgets.
Electric
This is the forefront of Volvo’s current product push. Here they have taken the aforementioned series of family SUVs and are equipping them with fully electric drivetrains calling it – Recharge. As a stepping stone for many, you can still get the fossil fuel derivative but with a plug-in hybrid system to compliment, this is sure to bring down consumption figures and those very present emissions.
Performance
When Volvo wanted a performance version of one of their vehicles they approached Polestar to deliver. Clad in their now infamous Polestar blue paintwork these vehicles were hard to find and developed an aura of mystique among those in the know. If you can find one, a Polestar will ferry your family along at a rapid pace in all the luxury and safety offered by the standard S-branded sedans but in all honesty, is more suited to its target audience of young male professionals.
With Volvo’s inevitable march towards electrification, Polestar has had to get with the times and is now working on performance versions of up-and-coming Volvo electric vehicles. Don’t expect these at every dealership as rumor has it these are going to be even more exclusive than the older Polestar models ever were.
Keyword: Is Volvo good for families?