The 2016 Volvo XC90 won Sport Utility Vehicle of the year at the Detroit Auto Show. I don't own one and had nothing to do with the design or engineering but I'm pretty excited.
Most car people have a favorite car make or model. I'm not a car person but, as I may have mentioned in previous blogs, I love Volvos. They used to be the stodgy, safe, soccer mom car. Instantly uncool. I prefer the wagons. I believe they are ‘stealth cool.’ Not everyone sees this.
I kind of feel redeemed. I told all of our technicians it won. They weren’t nearly as happy as I was. They all have their favorite cars and they are not the same as mine. I'm not really concerned with horsepower or performance. I love how it looks and I've read all the reviews and looked at the pictures. I do have a tendency to follow the informational car blogs because it's interesting to read what people, experts and non-experts, think about a certain vehicle.
I haven't driven one yet because I'm afraid I might not bring it back to the dealership. I might see it as a ‘permanent test drive’. I understand they get really upset if you do that and you get another ride. In a police car. I'll avoid that.
We work on a fair amount of Volvos and it's interesting to see the evolution when we have a 1992 and a 2012 sitting side-by-side. That is true of any manufacturer. Safety is the biggest difference. Passenger vehicles have evolved from the days of metal stick controls on the dashboard that caused maximum damage to the human body in an accident.
Congratulations to Volvo! And to all of the other winners in different categories also. You give car enthusiasts something to look forward to each year in The Motor City.