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Volvo DRIVe Preview

Author	Riyad Emeran
Published	4th Aug 2009

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Last week Volvo showed off its latest range of DRIVe cars, which are designed to be as economical and environmentally friendly as possible, while not compromising the overall driving experience for the owner. With so much emphasis being put on CO2, Volvo is by no means the only manufacturer that's introducing low emission options to its customers, but that doesn't make it any less commendable.

OK, so I'm not really the sort of car buyer that looks at CO2 levels and factors road tax bands into my total cost of ownership, but I know that many consumers do just that. It's also worth remembering that many large corporate and governmental organisations have put quite stringent CO2 caps on company car fleets, so producing desirable cars with low emissions is a key criteria today.

Volvo now offers DRIVe models in the C30, S40, V50, XC60 and XC70 ranges, while the newly developed 1.6l diesel DRIVe engine will also make its way into the V70 and S80 ranges by the end of August. With the emphasis on economy as well as low emissions, it comes as no surprise that all the DRIVe models feature diesel power plants, with all but the XC60 and XC70 sporting the 1.6D engine, while the two XC models both come equipped with a 2.4D lump.

The big news at the event was that Volvo has managed to get the CO2 emissions on the C30, S40 and V50 down to a very impressive 104g, which is actually only 4g away from being completely road tax exempt! Even so, a £35 per year road tax bill is not bad for a car that doesn't feel particularly compromised in order to achieve that result. To get a good idea of what Volvo's latest low emission cars were like I took a C30 DRIVe for a spin and put roughly 100 miles on the clock around the Cotswolds.

The 1.6D DRIVe engine still manages to pump out 107bhp and 176lb ft of torque, which might not make for the most exciting of drives, but it's not woefully underpowered either. I certainly didn't feel like I was taking my life in my hands when overtaking, which is often the case when you're driving a car designed for economy rather than performance.

All DRIVe models also have their ride height lowered by 10mm, which Volvo claims reduces fuel consumption, but will also improve handling, should you wish to have a little fun when you get bored of being economical. In fact I probably drove the C30 a bit more enthusiastically than the target buyer, which would account for my average fuel consumption of 48.5mpg, which is some way off Volvo's claimed 72.4mpg figure.

To be fair, the car did everything it could to convince me to drive economically. Like the Toyota iQ that I reviewed recently, the C30 DRIVe has a change up light that highlights the best time to change gear from a fuel economy perspective. I still find this kind of thing odd, since in my eyes a change up light should be indicating the best time to change gear from a performance perspective, but I guess that means I'm not a DRIVe kind of driver!

Helping keep those emissions down is Volvo's intelligent start/stop functionality, which will cut the engine once the car has been brought to a stop and the gearbox placed in neutral. This means that whenever you stop at traffic lights or get caught in traffic, you won't be burning fuel, or emitting any exhaust fumes. The system is surprisingly unobtrusive, and after a while I stopped noticing when the engine cut out, and barely registered it starting as I slipped the car back into gear.

One of the problems with auto start/stop systems is that if your engine is off while you're sitting in traffic, the in-car systems such as air conditioning and the stereo system are running down the car battery. Volvo has addressed this problem in two ways, first, the temperature of the cabin is constantly monitored even with the engine off, and if it rises above a certain level the air conditioning will be activated. Of course this won't help on a very cold day, when you're going to need the engine running for the heater to work, although ticking that heated seats option might be worthwhile if you're expecting cold winters.

Latest 4 of 5 Comments

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gingerbreadman85 said on 4th August 2009

"one of the basic principles of driving is that you should always be either accelerating or braking, not coasting"

Only if you own shares in BP or Shell. T... more

Matt G Baish said on 4th August 2009

"one of the basic principles of driving is that you should always be either accelerating or braking, not coasting."

Yes I've seen drivers do this on t... more

Greg said on 5th August 2009

Quote: "As economical and environmentally friendly as this system may be, I'm not so sure that encouraging drivers to coast in gear is a good idea, after all one of the basic principles of driving is that you should always be either accelerating or braking, not coasting."

Although being a driver of now nearly 20 years, I do know that this theory is outdated. In current UK basic and advanced tuition (car, not bike - the latter has not changed and still places for emphasis on driver control) you are encouraged to accelerate firmly to the desired speed, short shifting if required, and then hold at the current speed.

Looking ahead, it is encouraged to read the road and allow the engine to brake the vehicle as much as possible to improve economy. Each manufacturer is different, but most engines will cut off fuel supply to the engine without any throttle input within 1 to 3 seconds. After that, there is no consumption. Idling in neutral or clutch in will of course still consume fuel.

To a driver of quite a few years experience, it feels odd at first to adopt this approach. To see a junction 1/2 mile ahead, and just leave the throttle and glide up to it in gear. It goes against the basics we are used to, which is to drive right up to the junction until the point where it is safe to brake smoothly and then execute the turn. It feels like you're going too slow, and the driver behind you will almost certainly close up, even though the difference is just a few mph.

But the fuel saving is extremely high, especially when in urban traffic.

This may be changed if / when KERS becomes more commonplace in production vehicles, but until it does, coasting in gear is a huge environmental plus.

I apply this principle when in my car all the time. It makes a big difference. A big enough difference that I can of course spend these savings on hooning my motorbike around at every opportunity (which, I hasten to add, still gets a good 50 mpg - not bad for a 650 cc). Plus, it is fun ;)

Quote: "As economical and environmentally friendly as this system may be, I'm not so sure that encouraging drivers to coast in gear is a good idea, after all one of the b... more

Alan Edwards said on 5th August 2009

107hp diesel in an S80/V70? I had a 2.5 petrol 850 estate (became the V70) hire car once, and that was no ball of fire. You'd probably have your foot to the floor the whole ... more

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