Things are changing

[AWD*V70XC]

Boy O boy, Volvo are really pulling the stops out this year, first we have the PUP (sorry the PUV) then we have the Ball Game and all the trimmings in the US and now it's the turn of the UK Volvo people to start splashing about. How about this, I know it is on the smaller range but surly it must come right across the board. AND the first talk of a new sports version he he.

£100 SERVICE PLAN FOR S40 SALOON AND V50 SPORTSWAGON

· Three years or 36,000 miles servicing for S40 and V50 for one-off fee of £100

· Reduced maintenance costs

· Peace of mind

· Transferable to subsequent owners

· Improved residual values

Volvo is offering customers of its S40 Saloon and V50 Sportswagon the peace of mind and reduced maintenance costs of a three year or 36,000 mile servicing package for a one-off fee of £100.

The service package, worth an average of approximately £800, is available for all S40 and V50 models registered from 1 January until 30 June 2005, and can be purchased at any time up to the car's first service. Customers should also benefit from improved residual value for their S40 or V50 as the service package is transferable to subsequent owners if the car is sold while the service package is still current.

With the addition of the service package, plus the new 1.6 petrol and 1.6 diesel engines for the S40, the V50 All Wheel Drive, and the imminent Sport models about to complete the range, Volvo is starting 2005 with a very competitive range for this spring's new car buyers

[AWD*V70XC]

Mercury's new sedan, the 2005 Montego, looks deceptively mid-size.

But it has nearly as much passenger volume inside as the full-size Mercury Grand Marquis and more trunk space than the longer and wider sedan.

“It's not how big the exterior is anymore,” said Peter Horbury, executive director of design for North America at Ford Motor Co. “The huge interior is what we're promoting in this car.”

Eventually slated to replace the Mercury Sable, the Montego (pronounced Mon-teego) includes upscale styling, more responsive handling and yes, a noticeably roomy interior.

The Montego is even offered with all-wheel drive and can be had with a continuously variable transmission (CVT), rather than a traditional transmission, to better optimize performance and gasoline usage.

The Montego's starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, of $24,995, is nearly $3,300 higher than the Sable's, which continues to be sold.

The Montego's starting price also is higher than that of its Ford-branded twin, the Five Hundred sedan, which starts at $22,795, and the top-selling mid-size sedan in the country, the Toyota Camry. A V6-powered, 2005 Camry starts at $22,920. Toyota also sells four-cylinder-powered Camry models that start at $18,585.

Available in Luxury and Premium trim levels, the Montego has one engine — a 203-horsepower, 3-liter, double overhead cam, Duratec V6 that provides good power.

Torque is a maximum 207 foot-pounds at 4,550 rpm and doesn't come on in a rushed, eager way. Rather, the Montego responds in a steady, even manner.

The test car, the top-of-the-line Premier with all-wheel drive, was the heaviest of all Montegos, weighing more than 3,900 pounds. Yet it moved without sluggishness up highway grades in the mountains and merged into city traffic well.

The only transmission for the all-wheel-drive Montego is a German-built CVT that drivers operate like an automatic. The tranny automatically seeks the best “step” from among a gear ratio range that's larger than in a typical automatic.

Officials said the CVT provides better start up performance, but drivers may notice that there are no normal-feeling shift points from this tranny.

Front-drive Montegos get a six-speed, conventional automatic transmission and are the fuel-economy leaders of the line with a rating of 21 miles per gallon in city driving and 29 mpg on the highway.

Based on a modified platform from Volvo's S80, the Montego has steering that feels more precise than you might expect in a Mercury family car.

For example, the Montego test car was poised and confident on twisty mountain roads. Yes, there was some body sway here and there, but it was well-controlled even in aggressive curves and turns.

There wasn't much wind noise, and engine sounds from the V6 were muted.

The Montego's all-wheel drive system also is borrowed from Volvo. It can send all the torque to the rear wheels from the front in just milliseconds, if it detects a loss of front-wheel traction.

Still, no one seemed to notice the test Montego as I drove it.

It's carefully dressed with pieces of shiny chrome here and non-shiny, satin-finish, silver metal there.

But as much as the Montego was designed to look contemporary and sophisticated, it seems to blend in with other cars rather than shine among them.

I found that the most interesting view of the Montego was at the rear. Its light-emitting-diode taillamps are shaped and positioned such that, at a quick glance, you'd swear you were looking at the back of a Mercedes-Benz sedan.

That said, I admit I like the Montego's sizable wheels and tires. On the uplevel Montego, they're 18-inch wheels with Pirelli tires that help fill the sizable wheel wells. The biggest factory wheels on the Sable are 16-inchers.

The Montego's interior — a whopping 107.5 cubic feet vs. 108.2 in the Grand Marquis and 101.8 in the Camry — is dressed up with some satin-finished metal pieces here and there. Yet, it comes across as uncomplicated.

Notice the seat position of passengers in the Montego. They have a slightly higher riding position than what's found in many other cars and sit more upright, thanks to the Montego's taller roofline.

This gives the driver, especially someone who feels as if she's peeking over the steering wheel, a much more comfortable view out of the vehicle. It's also makes it a bit easier to get into and out of the Montego, because passengers don't drop down onto low-positioned seats.

The Montego's rear seats are situated a tad bit higher than those in the front so even passengers in back don't feel closed in.

I had plenty of legroom in back with the front seats up a ways and decent room even when the front seats were back on their tracks.

But back-seat passengers may notice a metal cross member that's covered by carpet in the floor at the back of the front seats. It's obvious especially when one of the front seats is up a ways on its track.

In a side collision, this metal piece can help channel crash forces under the front seats and away from passengers. Usually, however, carmakers cover or hide these kinds of features. Not this time. This crossbar also is used by Volvo.

Other safety features in the Montego include stronger rear rails (not easily visible, thank goodness) that will help the car meet upcoming federal standards on rear-end crashes; larger brake discs for improved stopping power; and bright, high-intensity discharge headlights — all standard.

Last, but certainly not least, is the 21-cubic-foot trunk with enough space for some five large-size golf bags. This compares with 20.6 cubic feet in the Grand Marquis and 16.7 cubic feet in the Camry.

If you need more room, the Montego's rear seatbacks and front passenger seatback fold down to allow really long items to slide from the trunk all the way forward into the car. Just remember that they can't be tall items, because they must slide under the rear parcel shelf.

The Montego debuted as a four-door sedan only and can seat up to five people. The Sable had been offered as a sedan and wagon and offered six-passenger sedan seating. Target buyers are men with median age of 41 who are married, have a couple of children and have a median household income of $100,000, a Mercury official said.


Courtesy of Ann M. Job @ www.theday.com

Proof if proof was needed that Volvo are pushing their parts to other members of the PAG group of Companies

[AWD*V70XC]

These new tires are not for future models but might be put on futuristic models by Volvo, but only under one condition - that they switch over to Michelin's new Tweel™

Looking like something out of the movies, you would not be stupid if you had to take a second glance. See what I mean.

Engineers at Michelin's American technology center here envision a future in which vehicles would ride on what they call the Tweel, a combined tire and wheel that could never go flat because it contains no air.

The tiremaker has high expectations for the Tweel project. The concept of a single-piece tire and wheel assembly is one the company expects to spread to passenger cars and, eventually, to construction equipment and aircraft.


Benefits of Tweel™:
The heart of Tweel innovation is its deceptively simple looking hub and spoke design that replaces the need for air pressure while delivering performance previously only available from pneumatic tires. The flexible spokes are fused with a flexible wheel that deforms to absorb shock and rebound with unimaginable ease. Without the air needed by conventional tires, Tweel still delivers pneumatic-like performance in weight-carrying capacity, ride comfort, and the ability to "envelope" road hazards.

Michelin has also found that it can tune Tweel performances independently of each other, which is a significant change from conventional tires. This means that vertical stiffness (which primarily affects ride comfort) and lateral stiffness (which affects handling and cornering) can both be optimized, pushing the performance envelope in these applications and enabling new performances not possible for current inflated tires. The Tweel prototype, demonstrated on the Audi A4, is within five percent of the rolling resistance and mass levels of current pneumatic tires. That translates to within one percent of the fuel economy of the OE fitment. Additionally, Michelin has increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling.


Future of Tweel™ Technology:
For Michelin, Tweel is a long-term vision that represents the next step in a long path of industry-changing innovations. Fifty years ago, Michelin invented the radial tire and there is no question that radial tire technology will continue as the standard for a long time to come. Michelin continues to advance the performance of the radial tire in areas such as rolling resistance, wear life and grip. In the short-term, the lessons learned from Tweel research are being applied to improve those conventional tire performances. In the future, Tweel may reinvent the way that vehicles move. Checking tire pressure, fixing flats, highway blow-outs and balancing between traction and comfort could all fade into memory.

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[AWD*V70XC]

Back in the old days I said there was a series of 30's on the way, the Spanish have let slip some info on the C30, you can view some details here http://www.autoblog.com/2005/12/28/v...ature-release/

[balky]

what has all this stuff to do with the xc50 ?

guys, please stick to the topic.

[Tyrant11429]

Someone's been changing lanes on the boards lol

[muscas]

Very interesting, down side is we will have to wait till 2016

http://www.michelinman.com/differenc...01102005a.html

Patrick

These new tires are not for future models but might be put on futuristic models by Volvo, but only under one condition - that they switch over to Michelin's new Tweel™

Looking like something out of the movies, you would not be stupid if you had to take a second glance. See what I mean.

Engineers at Michelin's American technology center here envision a future in which vehicles would ride on what they call the Tweel, a combined tire and wheel that could never go flat because it contains no air.

The tiremaker has high expectations for the Tweel project. The concept of a single-piece tire and wheel assembly is one the company expects to spread to passenger cars and, eventually, to construction equipment and aircraft.


Benefits of Tweel™:
The heart of Tweel innovation is its deceptively simple looking hub and spoke design that replaces the need for air pressure while delivering performance previously only available from pneumatic tires. The flexible spokes are fused with a flexible wheel that deforms to absorb shock and rebound with unimaginable ease. Without the air needed by conventional tires, Tweel still delivers pneumatic-like performance in weight-carrying capacity, ride comfort, and the ability to "envelope" road hazards.

Michelin has also found that it can tune Tweel performances independently of each other, which is a significant change from conventional tires. This means that vertical stiffness (which primarily affects ride comfort) and lateral stiffness (which affects handling and cornering) can both be optimized, pushing the performance envelope in these applications and enabling new performances not possible for current inflated tires. The Tweel prototype, demonstrated on the Audi A4, is within five percent of the rolling resistance and mass levels of current pneumatic tires. That translates to within one percent of the fuel economy of the OE fitment. Additionally, Michelin has increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling.


Future of Tweel™ Technology:
For Michelin, Tweel is a long-term vision that represents the next step in a long path of industry-changing innovations. Fifty years ago, Michelin invented the radial tire and there is no question that radial tire technology will continue as the standard for a long time to come. Michelin continues to advance the performance of the radial tire in areas such as rolling resistance, wear life and grip. In the short-term, the lessons learned from Tweel research are being applied to improve those conventional tire performances. In the future, Tweel may reinvent the way that vehicles move. Checking tire pressure, fixing flats, highway blow-outs and balancing between traction and comfort could all fade into memory.

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