Outlook
Volvo marries safety with excitement
MURRAY WALKER (No, he’s not the motor racing one) test drives Volvo’s latest bid to grab the middle market
WITH a name like mine, you might expect that I would know a lot about cars. Unfortunately, it isn’t true. Ignorance has not
always been bliss as far as I have been concerned, as hefty garage bills can testify. So, after having two years of traipsing my
jumped at the chance to take the new Volvo 460 for a spin. You have probably seen the adverts. You know,
Citroen Visa around the motor mechanics of East Lancashire, I obviously
One glance at the new Volvo 460 THE NEW
VOLVO 460. A TEST DRIVE ISN’T
ENOUGH.
may well be enough to win you over. Out be warned, once you get
behind the wheel there will be no turning back. Because this is. above all, a car
designed for sheer driving pleasure, well equipped, outstandingly com* Portable and quite exceptionally responsive. At the same time, the new 460‘s
deceptively roomy intenor and load- swallowing boot nuke it a totally practical proposition. And needless to say, it's as big as any o f our cars on st rengih and safety. What’s more, like every new
Volvo, the 460 can nin on unleaded fuel and is available with a factory* fitted catalytic converter at no extra charge. Prices start at only £11.29$. See the new Volvo 460 at our
showroom soon. But be warned, a test drive really isn’t enough.
The new Volvo 460. VOLVO
Farrimond’s systems and mark e tin g manager, assured me that had all changed, but I was keen to find out for myself.
Wide selection of quality used cars Very competitive finance facilities Contract hire and leasing options
Sydney Street LOMESHAYE IND. ESTATE, Whalley New Road ACCRINGTON Tel. 37666
CHURCHILL WAY, NELSON
(Ja.i2.M65)
BLACKBURN Tel. 245555
_____________________Telephone: 602602_______________________ Walker Farrimond WF. 20 Y EARS E X P E R I E N C E - A L I F E T I ME OF CARE VOLVO
perated windows were another plus; although the button to use them was often hard to locate when driving, as it is positioned near the gearstick. Most of the controls on the cockpit-style conso-
vered some of the delights of the Volvo’s internal fea tures, such as' the excel lent Volvo radio-cassette, with four speakers, and the electronically-adjust- able wing mirrors. The electronically-o
ried away, but the stark reality of Burnley town centre soon brough me back to earth. It must be one of the worst places to park in Britain, but the turning circle of the Volvo 460 was most impressive, managing to squeeze into the tightest of spaces near the town’s Register Office. The power assisted steer ing also made driving a pleasui-e. By this time I had disco
on the motorway, and the fifth gear took the car into overdrive. Acceleration was comfortable, but the only problem is that I metamorphosised into one of the creatures I hate most — the person that overtakes everyone in the fast lane at excessive speed. It was easy to get car
It opened up beautifully
always had a deserved reputation for safety, reliability and durability, many people have argued that style and finess has been sacrificed as a result. Mr Mark Janes, Walker
of Walker Farrimond let me have one for a week end. I picked it up from the company’s Sydney S t r e e t p rem is e s in Accrington and was imme diately impressed by the elegant raised boot line, the rear apron and deep front spoiler of the white Volvo GLE injection. Although Volvos have
the ones that say “The new Volvo 460 — a test drive is not enough”. Well, it isn’t, especially if it is one that just takes you round the block. So, the kind gentlemen
v up the sharp gradient of the gravel ascent to the top of Castle Hill, the highest point in Hudders field, and managed that with ease in second gear. I t adapted well to the stop-start of town centre traffic, but seemed equally at home on the motorway. The Volvo 460 is avail
able with three engine options, carburettor,' fuel injection and turbo inter cooler, and in three speci fication levels, the GL, GLE and Turbo. All the models in the range are powered by a 1.7 litre Heron head engine. The three engine choices offer fuel management by car burettor, multi-point fuel i n j e c t i o n o r by turbocharger.
to go hand-in-hand with Volvos, and the 460 was no exception. All major controls are logically posi tioned and you can adjust the steering wheel and the seat cushion to obtain your ideal driving position. The seats give body- hugging lateral support at all times. The secret of their comfort lies in ortho paedic design includes a height adjustable and tilt variable driver’s seat cushion. Adjustable lum bar support is also pro vided in both front seat backrests, for comfort and to ease the strain on the most sensitive region of the back. The boot is spacious and deep, and the asymme-
the comfort in hot weather and the electronically operated tilt-slide sunroof with a sliding sunshade is standard on all models. Comfort and safety tend
mic lines ensured a com fortable and stable ride. The design details are unpretentious and invari ably practical. Things like the side protection mould ings which, together with the wraparound bumpers, protect the deep-gloss paintwork along the full length of the car. The tinted glass adds to
Its smooth, aerodyna
lewere easy to understand and read, although I found the clock, situated in the lower middle of the dash board, difficult to see. The car handled well in all conditions. It was taken
triaclly split foldable seats, which gives greater capacity when needed, enables the car to be con verted from a luxury saloon to a load carrier in a matter of seconds.
safety properties like good handling, roadholding, acceleration, and braking. Then they add the vital elements of passive safety, mostly hidden under the bodywork, but reassur ingly there nevertheless.
Volvo build in active
tough steel safety cage, with computer designed front and rear crumple zones. Their job is to absorb and deflect impact shock waves before they can reach the occupants. A similar task is performed by the high strength steel reinforcing bars located at hip level in each door and the roll-over protection integrated in the roof structure and the roof pil lar assembly.
The car is built around a
driving was attractively priced, if a little outside your average journalist’s pocket, at £13,395. The GL begins at £11,295, with the top-of-thc-range Turbo at £16,000. □
Our
Wor dchase Winners
Winners of our April “Word Chase”, who each get a copy of the book “The Countryside Around Us”, are: Mrs S.Fergus, of Lower Manor Lane, Burn ley; A. Layton, of Hamble- don_ Terrace, Higham; G.Dixon, of Brookfield Way, Earby; Mrs Mar
post
garet Rowlands, of the Grange Nursing Home, Keighley' Road, Colne and Mrs E.Jackson, of Newby Lane, Rimington. Your books are in the
All in all, it was an enjoyable weekend and an enjoyable drive. Volvo could well capture the middle market with this model which, as Mr Janes assured me,has style and finesse as well as safety. The GLE injection I was
v
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