Volvo 960 Overview

It's been said that Swedes don't like to bet unless they're sure they're going to win. So when Volvo advertised an Accidental Loss of Life insurance policy for all '96 models, you can bet the Scandinavian auto maker had some data to back up the offer.

For example, Volvo will tell you that no driver deaths occurred in single-vehicle crashes or rollovers of the Volvo 240 during 1990-94. Not one. The insurance policy, by the way, pays $250,000 to the estate of any occupant of any '96 Volvo who loses his or her life in an accident, up to a total of $1 million. It remains in effect for 48 months.

It's a unique and phenomenal offer in a climate where safety features receive high marks with car buyers. And it's clearly geared to drive home Volvo's tradition of building cars designed to maximize your chances of walking away from an accident. While Volvos might not be the latest thing in the area of swoopy styling, they're built by folks who have been perennial pioneers in automotive safety.

But there's more to Volvos than safety. To the people who know them, Volvo's stable of sedans and wagons also deliver exceptional comfort, quality, durability and value.

The rear-drive 960 series includes a line of 4-door sedans and wagons built on the same platform as the now-defunct 760 series. Introduced as '95 models, they were significantly re-engineered, a makeover that included a new body and suspension. For '96, the big news--and the only major change--is the addition of side airbags for the front seats. Known as the Side-Impact Protection System (SIPS) this award-winning safety innovation was first introduced on 850 Turbo models and is now standard on every Volvo sold in this country.

Although the 960 sedan has a large number of attractive luxury class competitors--the Saab 9000, Audi A6, Lincoln Continental, Cadillac Seville and Mercedes E-Series, to name just a few--the wagon version stands almost alone in this price category. Which is one of the reasons for its strong sales. To find out more, we took a 960 wagon on a test drive.