We are looking to buy my daughter a new “suv” for my expectant daughter. She has been driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee, has over 120k miles…time for a safer car. She will be carting around 2 dogs and a new child. I like the Volvo SUV, anyother safe suggestions
You can get the best safety information published at the website below
You can corrolate that with reliability data by using a Consumer Reports New Car Buyers’ Guide from the local bookstore. Reliability is a factor in safety also. You don’t want her and the new baby broken down on the sid eof the highway in the middle of the night in a rainstorm.
Volvo maybe safe but are you going to pay for the expensive repairs for the life of the Volvo? Perhaps your daughter should make this choice?
As far as safety all cars are pretty safe for kids especially with the space age car seats we have today. There is nothing wrong with a Grand Cherokee as long as it is in decent shape. If you want to get her a new car, fine but the new child really shouldn’t be the driving factor.
Volvo’s aren’t especially safer than a Toyota or Honda SUV, but the Volvo is going to be much more expensive to own and maintain especially when it gets older, is off warranty, and has 120K miles like the Cherokee does now.
The Volvo XC90 has the best rating for all insurance losses for a mid-size luxury SUV according to HLDI, and their medical payout is second lowest in the class. It doesn’t get much better than this SUV for safety. If you don’t mind saving $10,000 you might also look at The Honda Pilot and Toyota 4Runner. The Pilot actually has lower payouts than the Volvo; the 4Runner is about the same.
The Volvo is going to be very expensive to repair. I agree with jtsanders…look at a Honda or Toyota.
One of the best ways to improve your on the road safety is to leave the dogs at home. Driver distraction is the major cause of accidents in urban areas. I would be more interested in my daughter driving safely than “crashing safely”.
Taking a defensive driving course will be of immense benefit in AVOIDING accidents in the first place. Buying really good car seats for the kids and properly installing them, is a must as well.
I agree with others that a well maintained older car driven responsibly is about as safe as you can get. Your daughter may not appreciate your generosity when those big maintenance and repair bills start coming in as the car ages. In addition, Volvos are not really reliable anymore; that was true 40 years ago maybe.
All cars are quite safe today; the biggest liability by far is the driver. Volvos are no safer than Toyotas, Hondas, Mazdas, etc.
What does her husband think…
Whats wrong with the jeep? No 4wd ? New shocks, if not replaced, tires, take to get the interior cleaned professionally cleaned, put a cage in the back… but structurally it’s a tank and 4wd! Perhaps a talk/lecture in driving responsible?
Volvo? are you nuts? I listen to the show a lot and volvo comes up more than you’d on read this rag. Ford sold their corporate ownership off… that good enough?
Hyundai Santa Fe or Tuscon.
Here’s a site that combines the different safety ratings, lets you compare:
http://www.informedforlife.org/
Volvos are safe, but not unusually safe.
What does your daughter want?
After 120k miles on a Volvo, they’ll be able to buy a new vehicle with all the odds and ins that’ll crop up with age.
For the base price of the 2011 Volvo XC60, you can get a fully loaded 2011 Mazda CX-7 GT AWD or save a few grand and still get a fully loaded Escape or CR-V or Santa Fe.
Whatever you get make sure you take a baby car-seat with you for the shopping trip and see if it fits in the rear. A few of the mid-size SUV’s I looked at had a real tight rear seat, one particular one was the 05-10 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Isn’t Volvo now the official vehicle of people with more money than common sense? Or is that still Land Rover? Or Jaguar?