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Volvo’s DRIVe cuts CO2 emissions and taxation costs
publication date: Jul 31, 2009
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author/source: David Miles
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Reducing CO2 emissions and improving fuel efficiency,
which in turn brings down road tax and benefit in kind taxes, is a
major selling tool for car manufacturers for retail, business and fleet
customers.
Volvo call their programme DRIVe, and all models are equipped with a
conventional diesel engine and manual gearbox. The seven model ranges
comprises of the C30 SportsCoupe, S40 saloon, V50 Sportswagon, V70
premium estate and S80 executive saloon with 1.6D turbodiesel engines
and the two-wheel drive XC60 crossover and XC70 estate with a 2.4D
turbodiesel power unit are available.
Their £500 R-design sports bodykit option can also be ordered with C30,
S40 and V50 models. S, SE and SE Lux specifications are also available
depending on the DRIVe model range chosen. The first DRIVe models were
launched by Volvo 18 months ago but now an additional Start/Stop
option, which costs an extra £200, is being introduced to the programme.
DRIVe prices are wide ranging starting at £15,995 for the C30 without
Start/Stop up to £31,695 for the XC70, also without Start/Stop.
DRIVe models now have CO2 levels as low as 104g/km but range up to
159g/km for their new two-wheel drive XC60/70 crossover SUV models.
Fuel economy, depending on model, ranges from 72.4mpg to 62.8mpg for
the 1.6D 109PS/240Nm unit and 47.1mpg for the 2.4D 175PS/420Nm unit.
Chris Waites, product manager for Volvo UK, said this week at a media
driving event that over 35pc of their total UK passenger car sales
would be DRIVe versions and this fuel and CO2 saving programme has
enabled Volvo to make significant gains in the company car and fleet
sectors of the UK car market. 59.8pc of UK registrations are now taken
up by sales in these sectors. The increase is due to Volvo now being
able to provide a wide range of models with CO2 influenced lower
Benefit-in-Kind tax liabilities which range from 13 to 22pc depending
on the model.
Although Volvo are unwilling to say what their forecast is for total UK
sales this year, due to the overall fall in the new car market, last
year the company sold 33,358 new cars giving them a 1.56pc market
share. In the first six months of this year Volvo’s UK sales totalled
14,103 units, a 1.52pc share of the market. Their target is to maintain
their 1.56pc share by year end following the introduction of DRIVe
models.
The most popular models in UK sales-order from the Volvo range are the
V50, S40, C30, and V70 followed by the SUV crossover XC60/70/90 models.
Waites said the DRIVe programme would enable the company to appeal to
more retail customers and the scrappage scheme had helped with that.
The company had an initial 500 unit sales estimate but so far they had
received 2,200 orders for new cars under the scheme and last week their
dealer network received the highest number of sales enquiries for two
years.
He also added that with the introduction of new low CO2 models DRIVe is
now a sub brand for Volvo and environmental issues have always been
part of the Volvo DNA just as safety features have been. DRIVe provides
no compromise motoring offering the lowest CO2 emissions and the very
best environmental performance and it is a major step forward in our
environmental strategy. The programme is a marathon not a sprint and in
the future we will see hybrid models added to the programme by 2012.
Duncan Forrester, Volvo’s head of public relations, added, “The fact
that owners of DRIVe cars, some emitting just 104g/km of CO2, would
still have to pay the £8 London Congestion Charge whilst hybrid models,
many emitting more CO2 than that, were exempt is unfair. We have raised
this issue with London Mayor Boris Johnson and he has indicated that he
would be reviewing the Congestion Charge criteria by the end of this
year.”
Forrester also added that the 13 August was the 50th anniversary of the
three-point seatbelt invented by Volvo and around one million lives had
been saved worldwide due to this invention. Around 35,000 lives in the
UK had also been saved by the three-point seatbelt. |
FIRST IMPRESSIONS |  |
Offering lower CO2 models with a wide range of trim and equipment levels has become a major sales initiative for most car companies.
The
buying public, retail, fleet or business users are increasingly looking
at ways to lower their motoring costs in terms of fuel consumption,
road tax and P11D Benefit-in-Kind taxation for company car users.
Volvo now has a wide range of DRIVe low CO2, lower tax incurring models, seven ranges in total and climbing. Currently they cover C30, S40, V50, V70, S80 1.6D ranges and 2.4D XC60 and XC70 two wheel drive crossover vehicles. Prices vary enormously from £16,245 to £31,695 and CO2 emissions vary from just 104g/km up to 159g/km,
all very competitive in their sectors. Company cars users can also take
heart because DRIVe models benefit significantly from much lower BIK
taxation - 13 to 22pc and fuel economy figures look even better; as low as 72.4mpg. Many of these models only incur £35 in road tax as well.
All DRIVe models benefit from a lowered chassis with ride height dropped by 10mm.
This lower ground clearance reduces fuel consumption at the same time
as lowering the centre of gravity that, consequentially, has a positive
effect on the car's handling. Front airflow deflectors have also been
moulded into the body ahead of the front wheels to help channel airflow
and a lower, front lip spoiler has been added.
Road wheel design was is another area of development and drag has been cut with the adoption of a new, flush-style 16-inch
diameter alloy wheel dubbed the Diamond Cut Libra. As for tyres, Volvo
says they have worked closely with Michelin to develop a compound with
uncompromising handling and wear characteristics coupled with low
rolling resistance.
Further economy benefits are made by
optimising engine and gearbox management software and introducing
electrohydraulic steering. There is also a Gear Shift Indicator that
informs the driver of the optimum time to change gears and achieve
better fuel consumption. The final ingredient is a low friction
transmission oil used in the gearbox. Individually, the modifications
may seem small, but when, combined they produce a dramatic effect on
overall efficiency.
Unlike some other fuel efficient models
offered by other manufactures with just one level of specification,
Volvo offers DRIVe with a variety of trim and equipment levels. One of
these is R-Design for an extra cost of £500
– well worth the money because the bodystyle package really adds a
modern image to the range with more than its fair share of
conservatively designed models.
The sports-inspired R-Design
specification offers low levels of emissions and the highest levels of
visual appeal which includes front and rear spoilers, lower door trim
and side skirts as well as roof and lip spoilers and 17-inch
five spoke alloy wheels. The interior also carries R-Design features
such as upholstery in cream leather and off-black Flex-Tec, distinctive
centre stack and blue instrument dials.
Volvo has also just added a £200 optional Start/Stop function lowering CO2 emissions further to 104 g/km and improve fuel economy to 72.4 mpg for the C30, S40 and V50 1.6D DRIVe models.
Start/Stop
or Stop/Start, whichever manufacturers choose to call these systems is
now widely used. Volvo has, with typical thoroughness, added a second
small battery which supports the larger battery by providing extra
power. This allows for a quick and smooth start-up and the audio system
also remains unaffected when the starter motor is activated. The
standard larger battery has also been upgraded to handle up to 175,000 Start/Stop cycles.
The
driver continuously receives feedback about system status via the
in-car information display. The Start/Stop function can be engaged and
disengaged via a DRIVe button in the centre console and in the default
setting, the function is activated.
In their DRIVe programme Volvo has also added front-wheel drive versions to the XC60 and XC70 to bring CO2 emissions below 160 g/km. The introduction of front-wheel drive and the new 2.4D engine to the XC60 crossover and XC70 premium estate sees CO2 figures tumble to 159 g/km and fuel economy improve to 47.1 mpg. This will mean the XC60 will be the first premium SUV falling below the all-important 160 g/km Writing Down Allowance threshold for company cars, making the award-winning XC60
an attractive choice for the Fleet Manager. Company car drivers will
also benefit significantly from lower Benefit-in-Kind taxation bills.
With
such a wide range of eco and tax friendly models, editorial space does
not allow for a full review but generally I found DRIVe models gave
significant advantages in fuel economy and lower CO2 ratings.
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The most impressive model, size versus performance wise, having tested several DRIVe offerings over an 85 mile Cotswold driving route, was Volvo’s best selling V50 five door, five seater estate in DRIVe form (above).
At a little over 4.2-metres in length the V50 sells against such estate models as the Honda Accord, VW Passat, Renault Laguna and Ford Mondeo. The V50 range is priced from £16,995 for the 1.6 S petrol model. However the all important new DRIVe 1.6 D turbodiesel models begin at £19,095 without Start/Stop or £19,345 with it. If you are going this fuel saving route Start/Stop is a must-have option. The test model was the 1.6 D DRIVe SE specification and costs £20,845.
The figures that matter about this model are the 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine which produces 109PS and 240Nm of torque from 1,750rpm. Top speed is 118mph, 0-62mph takes a healthy 10.9 seconds. Even better is the official 72.4mpg for the Combined Cycle with just 104g/km of CO2 which in turn means a road tax bill of just £35 and a low 13pc for BIK company car tax.
The
low emissions and real-life fuel economy better most hybrid cars and
the impressive figures speak for themselves. This is a seriously good,
solid, well built vehicle with low running costs. The performance is
much better than I would have expected from a 1.6-litre diesel engine in a car of this size. My test car returned 55.5mpg
with ease and I’m sure on a longer run, particularly on motorways,
where its taller gearing will help improve that figure even closer to
the official one.
MILESTONES.
Volvo V50 1.6D DRIVe Sportwagon SE with Start/Stop £20,845.
Insurance group: 10.
Engine/transmission: 1.6-litre, four-cylinder, turbodiesel, 109PS 240Nm of torque from 1,750rpm, 5-speed manual.
Performance: 118mph, 0-62mph 10.9 seconds, 72.4mpg (55.5mpg actual), CO2 104g/km, VED Band B £35, BIK tax 13pc.
Dimensions/capacities; L 4,252mm, W 1,782mm, boot 433-947-litres, maximum braked towing weight 800kg.
For: Fuel and CO2 changes that really work, real-world fuel economy figures, very low CO2 emissions, low road and company car tax liabilities, stylish, well built estate.
Against: bland and dark interior trim, not as roomy as some estates in this sector, road noise intrusion.
©Miles Better News Agency |
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