1. Six airbags, ABS, EBD, stability control
Front, side, and curtain airbags keep all occupants well-cushioned during impact and contribute to the S90's excellent safety rating. Anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution and stability control will keep the S60 neatly in its tracks and reduce stopping distance.
2. Intelligent seat belt reminders on all seats
All five seats have intelligent seatbelt reminders and 3-point seatbelts, even the middle rear seat. A digital diagram will allow you to pinpoint exactly which passenger isn't wearing his/her seatbelt.
3. City Safety
The S60's party trick is City Safety: Should a pedestrian, cyclist, or any traffic be in danger of making contact with the wrong end of your S60, be it the back or the front, it will automatically apply the brakes to prevent injury or death and/or potential lawsuits. This falls under Volvo's IntelliSafe system.
4. Volvo's world-renowned safety cage
Constructed mainly from high-strength steel, the safety cage helps to keep the cabin intact in case of an accident. The latest Volvos make heavy use of Boron steel which is four times as strong as your average high-strength steel.
5. BLIS
The S60 also offered the option of Volvo's radar-based Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), which can monitor and alert the driver to rapidly approaching vehicles up to 70 m behind the car, while also monitoring the blind spots on both sides of the car.
The result? The S60 gets five stars for safety, according to the crash-test experts
Attaining a five-star safety rating is no easy task, but the S60 passed these crash tests with flying colours, as far back as 2012. Five stars mean that all the dummies used in the crash test were in decent shape. Pedestrians aren't too poorly off either. "The bumper provided good protection in some areas tested and marginal in others. In most areas likely to be struck by a child, the bonnet provided good protection against head injuries", says EuroNCAP.
In the crash test, adult occupants scored 94%, child occupants 82%, and pedestrians 64%. Volvo's safety assistance systems scored a 100%.
The EuroNCAP report can be downloaded and viewed here. Please note that the V60 and S60 attain the same scores.
Click here for the ANCAP report.
Did you know?
South African's were supposed to be received the American-built, new S60 in 2019 already, but because we're so obsessed with SUVs, Volvo decided to give us a skip altogether. The larger S90 is still on sale here, but for how long we don't know.
The third-generation Volvo S60 was introduced to overseas markets in 2018. It competes with the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series, among others.
Instead, Volvo is choosing to focus on their XC line of vehicles in SA, for now.
