Volvo-Murrhee

My love and appreciation for Volvo did not spark with the arrival of the movieTwilight. Unlike the mysterious character of Edward Cullen, I do not find the Volvo C30 that attractive of a car, opting instead for the 2008 Volvo S60. If you were buying from Volvo in early '08, you would know that the C30 did not come with climate-control capabilities or preferences at the time (this was a complete no-go for me since I know I'm the passenger that would freeze to death and I hate to think of my passengers as freezing).

The first Volvo I ever owned was a 1994, 940. Shortly after 12:00 a.m. on November 15, 2006, that car (named Duchess) was T-boned by a drunk driver going approximately 50 m.p.h. (whom, after making a 180, drove off and left the front of his bumper in the road). My poor Duchess was struck on the rear, driver's side door and tire. A blow-out occurred to the back tire, sending my car spinning three times and landing it directly in the emergency lane (lucky me). I was wearing a seat-belt that morning and walked away from the accident unscathed.

My next Volvo was a 1996, 850. It lasted me 11 months, when on Aug. 15, 2007 (the Ascension of Mary, ironically), I was involved in a near-fatal accident. I will spare the details but I will say this: my ex-boyfriend walked away from that accident with a bruised sternum (he was driving) and a small sliver of glass in his leg because he had his seat-belt on and I didn't walk away because I didn't have my seat-belt on.

After months of extensive recovery, surgery, and therapy, I set out on the road again, driving a brand new, 2008, chrome-blue, Volvo S60. That baby handles like a dime; my father giving me whip-lash and an amazed, "This thing has kick," the first time he drove it. It is exceptionally quiet for a 2.5T tank and has a sound system that makes the windows shake (quite handy when in the city and wanting to leave an impression). Oh, and get this! I never have to turn off my lights. They shut off automatically but if I were to make the mistake of not turning them on at the start of dusk, they would promptly turn on for me. Convenience!

Besides its control, its look of prominence on the streets and its amazing sound system, the S60 has safety-features that are unbeatable. The S60 comes equipped with a collapsible steering column, dual-stage airbags, driver and Front Passenger, side-impact protection system, side-impact airbags for driver and front passenger, inflatable curtain, head restraints for all seats, seat-belts with pre-tensioners, anti-submarining protection, reinforced passenger compartment, whiplash protection system, energy-absorbing interior, and pedestrian protection-unprotected road users.