Adjö from John Bear

I picked up a 2008 Volvo S60 2.5T AWD with 20k miles on it a month ago (after trading in an '09 Volvo S40) - The S60 is phenomenal - handling and comfort are brilliant.. the car is a joy to drive and looks wicked, too

 

Funny stuff here. Trip to Detroit. Make-out detector. Keep 'em coming.

Today's new joy, used while driving from Gothenberg to Copenhagen: the feature in which you set your preferred distance from the car in front, and maximum speed, and the dambthing practically drives itself, speeding up or braking, as needed, to maintain the distance. And when you change lanes to pass (after checking the orange light that comes on when there is a car in the blind spot], it speeds up to your maximum.

John, on our way to Tivoli Gardens. Years ago, we saw our one-and-only flea circus there, but we suspect PETI protests have done away with such follies.

 

Oh, man.. I am SO jealous! My two daughters have decided it's about time I have some adventure (one just returned fr a vacation in the British Isles, the other went to Spain & Portugal)... so they are taking me to Montreal in about a month. Well, it's not Sweden, and it doesn't include a Volvo (nor does it include meatballs - however: BAGELS!!!) but I know it'll be great.

Still... Sweden! Someday...

I adore bargains, and this is just about the best I've heard.

My youngest daughter survived an accident where our car flipped over; the car was totaled, but she (whew!) came out w/only muscle pains. No, it wasn't a Volvo (it was an older, used Caddy that I was always complaining about - thanked God above after that!), but Volvo just about wrote the book on car safety. Good choice!!

Have a great time!

 

Couldn't some of these auto-safety features (particularly auto-braking) be more harm than good? Do the systems communicate so well that it knows when it's actually safe to slam the brakes? Can you turn off alarms that guess when you are too sleepy? What if I have a naturally inattentive expression on my face? Does it berate you if you don't put your seat belt on before the car starts moving? Does it have an auto-release in the trunk defeating my ability to kidnap somebody or smuggle endangered animals with thumbs in my trunk?

For some reason I think the first two items are the most pressing issues and the last can be largely ignored except by very small niche markets. But can they afford to lose that niche market in these troubled times?

 

I'm still waiting for the passenger ejector seat option.