I just returned from this event. It was, in a word, exceptional. Volvo and their marketing people really got it together. Everything and everyone there -- from the marketing people to the support staff to the driving instructors -- were very professional and knowledgeable. My session was from 10 to 12. After signing in, there was a 10-minute video presentation about the R cars. There were fairly elaborate breakfasts and lunches, too, all free of course. Then there was a brief introduction by a Volvo Marketing VP. He quickly turned the show over to someone form an "independent" car testing company called AMCI. The guy was very good at explaining all of the features. I suspect Volvo chose another firm to discuss the car's attributes to make it seem more objective. That went on for about 15 minutes or so. Then they did a little demo of the car's AWD/traction control system, using an actual car and a incline treadmill type device. Then they split the group of about 60 or so registered drivers into three groups of about 20. Each of the smaller groups had three instructors. First they did a little thing on proper seat position. Then the driver took three people in a car (two manual S60s and one automatic V70 total) on a short course marked with cones in the parking lot of Shea. There were three courses in total, although participants only drove one coure each. The drivers were all professional or racing school type drivers and really showed you how well the car handled. I was in the S60 and the drive exceeded my expectations. Great power (in second gear the whole time), amazing handling and control and very strong brakes. (I was fortunate to be sitting in the front seat or I otherwise would have been carsick.) Then they let each of us take three laps. The first was in the "comfort" setting just to get familiar with the course. The next two were in advanced sport and you could go as fast as you wanted/could handle. Finally, at the end they had a "race" to see who could do the course the fastest without hitting any cones. (I was sixth out of 22.) The car met all of my expectations and exceeded some. The clutch felt soft at first and the friction point took some getting used to (I am coming out of a 1997 M3 5-speed). It was hard to analyze the clutch feel and the gearbox because we were in second gear almost all of the time. On the track and on display they had cars in grey, black and red. The former two colors seemed great to me. I did not like the red as much. The Atacama interior is striking, but too orange in tone and probably too hard to keep clean (at least if you have kids, as I do). The Nordkap interior was actually more grey than blue/black. I actually thought it was a different color altogether at first. It looks good, however. The driving position was extremely comfortable and the cabin seem bigger than my M3. The steering felt a bit lighter, however, but it is hard to say for sure since I had relatively little time in the car and everything was blurring by at the time. Overall, I am pleased that I chose this car (mine is arriving 5/14). If you can make one of the other R driving experiences around the country I would strongly recomment it. If you have any specific questions please post and I will get back to you tonight.
RichardL
Re: R Driving Experience at Shea Stadium Today (RichardL)
Thanks for the post. So the blue interior wasn't overwhelming? Tell me about the grey exterior..is it a cool color or would you recommend black instead? I'm worried about the grey just being kind of blah. I hope someone takes pictures. Any Gobi "sand" enteriors there?
Were the seats nice?
Thanks!
Geoff
Thanks for the post. So the blue interior wasn't overwhelming? Tell me about the grey exterior..is it a cool color or would you recommend black instead? I'm worried about the grey just being kind of blah. I hope someone takes pictures. Any Gobi "sand" enteriors there?
Were the seats nice?
Thanks!
Geoff
Re: R Driving Experience at Shea Stadium Today (shrooman)
The grey exterior -- which I have ordered -- was nice, but I almost liked the black better. Maybe it was because I saw the grey on a "track" car and it was probably not clean/waxed. The Nordkap interior was definitely not "overwhelming". It was almost dark grey in color, not really blue. Nothing like the photos that I have seen on websites. The seats themselves were very comfortable -- good head room (I am 6'1''), lots of adjustments. But again, I was in the car for about five minutes total.
The grey exterior -- which I have ordered -- was nice, but I almost liked the black better. Maybe it was because I saw the grey on a "track" car and it was probably not clean/waxed. The Nordkap interior was definitely not "overwhelming". It was almost dark grey in color, not really blue. Nothing like the photos that I have seen on websites. The seats themselves were very comfortable -- good head room (I am 6'1''), lots of adjustments. But again, I was in the car for about five minutes total.
Re: R Driving Experience at Shea Stadium Today (Ben hAYAT)
I just got back from the event as well, went with 3 friends. The R was very nice as summed up above, there was some noticable Turbo lag though in the turns. Overall, it was a very nice car, even the Advanced setting wasn't too harsh but firmed the car up well. The Nordcap blue interior is very dark (I looked at it in the sun, sorry I forgot to take a photo). That Atacama interior is awesome, much better than I expected. That other interior color (beige almost) did nothing for me. The autolevel Xenons are cool, they look great.
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[Modified by JG50, 9:24 PM 4-13-2003]
[Modified by JG50, 4:16 AM 4-14-2003]
I just got back from the event as well, went with 3 friends. The R was very nice as summed up above, there was some noticable Turbo lag though in the turns. Overall, it was a very nice car, even the Advanced setting wasn't too harsh but firmed the car up well. The Nordcap blue interior is very dark (I looked at it in the sun, sorry I forgot to take a photo). That Atacama interior is awesome, much better than I expected. That other interior color (beige almost) did nothing for me. The autolevel Xenons are cool, they look great.
Does this belong to anyone on the forum? http://********************/smile/emwink.gif http://********************/smile/embeer.gif
[Modified by JG50, 9:24 PM 4-13-2003]
[Modified by JG50, 4:16 AM 4-14-2003]
Re: R Driving Experience at Shea Stadium Today (JG50)
Most importantly.... Thanks for the pix!!!!
Questions:
1 - was the car with lag an auto or MT
2 - do the calipers have the "R" (couldn't see it)
3 - did the grey V have Nordkap leather and how does combo work in real life
Thanks again...
Most importantly.... Thanks for the pix!!!!
Questions:
1 - was the car with lag an auto or MT
2 - do the calipers have the "R" (couldn't see it)
3 - did the grey V have Nordkap leather and how does combo work in real life
Thanks again...
Re: R Driving Experience at Shea Stadium Today (JimLill)
1. The car was a MT, but my buddy also drove the Auto and said it had some lag.
2. The calipers definitely have the R logo. Another nice surprise, is that the gauge cluster overhang is leather covered/or fake leather (stitched in blue)....the interior is "very" nice, lots of attention to detail
3. All the Grey cars I saw had the beige colored interior. I saw a black S60R with the Nordcap. The Nordcap is really dark, it almost looks black (with a purpleish tone in the bright Sun).
[Modified by JG50, 9:47 PM 4-13-2003]
No problem, to your questions......
1. The car was a MT, but my buddy also drove the Auto and said it had some lag.
2. The calipers definitely have the R logo. Another nice surprise, is that the gauge cluster overhang is leather covered/or fake leather (stitched in blue)....the interior is "very" nice, lots of attention to detail
3. All the Grey cars I saw had the beige colored interior. I saw a black S60R with the Nordcap. The Nordcap is really dark, it almost looks black (with a purpleish tone in the bright Sun).
[Modified by JG50, 9:47 PM 4-13-2003]
Re: R Driving Experience at Shea Stadium Today (JimLill)
1 - I drove both GT and MT and experienced the same thing with both. The professional driver with me, Harry, said that is wasn't lag, just the ECU keeping me from getting into too much trouble exiting the turn. I was pushing it pretty hard.
2 - The calipers are painted a speckled medium grey with the R painted over it. Looked pretty good from a distance, but not as good as the engraved R in the wheels. Take a look at the photos in my next post for a close up.
3 - I hate to get down on anybody else's idea of their dream interior, but the Nordkap just doesn't do it for me. It didn't look blue at all, just the stitching. It looked like a dark grey, so if you really wanted a black interior and were settling for Nordkap because black isn't available, this might be your color. If, on the other hand, you were expecting something outstanding and unique, I don't think you're going to be happy with this color.
Answers to your questions by the same numbers:
1 - I drove both GT and MT and experienced the same thing with both. The professional driver with me, Harry, said that is wasn't lag, just the ECU keeping me from getting into too much trouble exiting the turn. I was pushing it pretty hard.
2 - The calipers are painted a speckled medium grey with the R painted over it. Looked pretty good from a distance, but not as good as the engraved R in the wheels. Take a look at the photos in my next post for a close up.
3 - I hate to get down on anybody else's idea of their dream interior, but the Nordkap just doesn't do it for me. It didn't look blue at all, just the stitching. It looked like a dark grey, so if you really wanted a black interior and were settling for Nordkap because black isn't available, this might be your color. If, on the other hand, you were expecting something outstanding and unique, I don't think you're going to be happy with this color.
I know that an "Orange" interior is a love/hate proposition, but Atacama is the only one of the three choices that is really different. Nordkap seems to be similar to Graphite while Gobi is a lot like Sand making them somewhat mainstream in appearance. Those of you that saw the cars today, was the leather "upgraded" as Volvo claims? What did the "natural" Atacama leather feel like?
My TWO cents!
Just got back from NY, where I had lots of fun!
Without repeating some of the comments posted from above, it was a very well organized event by Volvo. The tur out was tremendous and talking to a few poeple yielded only positive comments about the cars and the event. It was a nice, sunny day albeit with a blustery wind that made it pretty chilly!
The cars look MAGNIFICENT from up close! Those of you who have deposits on Rs and your cars are arriving in May/June, are in for a visual feast! Honestly! http://********************/smile/emsmile.gif http://********************/smile/emthup.gif
There were V70s and S60s present, in both manual and Geartronic. All colors (exterior) were present with the exception of the Flash Green metallic and Silver metallic, which was a small downer for me as I really wanted to see it. But as I do not expect many sales being Flash Green metallic, it was not a big loss. All three interiors (Gobi, Atacama and Nordkap) were in the various cars. Inside the registration tent, the first car that "greeted" me was a Black Sapphire metallic S60 R with the...ATACAMA interior! What a gorgeous sight! I must tell you all ONE thing. If you are considering the Atacama and are afraid of it....DON'T BE! It is not as orangy as the pictures show and it is not a HIGH WEAR leather! I was told that Volvo made some changes in the original "finish" of that leather and they changed it from the suede-like original appearance to a tougher treated leather. Visit your local retailer to feel a sample (we all have them) so you can see with your own eyes! I would definitely recommend it as it is a CLASSIC combo with the Black Sapphite or the Titanium Gray....G O R G E O U S!!! I can't believe that I liked it! And many more people there felt the same way!
Another GREAT interior is the Nordkap. The pictures from Las Vegas are way too blue. The actual interior is Graphite with a hint of blue/purple/silvery SHEEN! And that leather is so soft...better than a Natuzzi couch! I drove in a Black Sapphire S60 with the Nordkap (manual transmission) and the seats were unreal!
As long as I am covering colors and interiors, I would like to mention one item where Volvo MUST make a change as it is U G L Y ! One of the V70s had the Gobi interior, which a very light beige color (light sand). There were some gray accents on the door panels which is fine. But the trunk! I almost choked when I saw it! The cargo area seemed like an afterthought as it was identical to my car (I have graphite interior). The ENTIRE cargo area was...GRAPHITE! And it contrasted so badly with the front part of the rear seats. It seemed like someone made a mistake or just took the wrong color cargo area and GLUED it on a beige interior. I cannot believe that the design team in Gothen burg let it go. That alone would make me not consider the Gobi interior in the V70... http://********************/smile/emthdown.gif
Driving the cars was a treat. I cannot describe the SCARY amount of torque available in the 2nd gear....tremendous! In the Advanced setting, you can feel the bumps but it rewards you when pushing the car when cornering. The DSTC function is reduced and although you can induce quite a bit of understeer, it does not compare to what my car would have done under the same conditions (can you say "eat some cones"?) This car had just enough understeer and after the apex of the turn as you pushed the accelerator down, it took off like a bandit! I did not think the turbo lag was bad at all, certainly a lot less than what my T5 has...The exhaust sound was very nice...a soft growl and...polite! http://********************/smile/emwink.gif The DSTC function seems to be less intrusive than what I experienced in the XC90, in the moose avoidance test (I went through the same type of slalom with both cars).
The V70s had 17" alloys whereas the S60s had 18" alloys. All with P Zeros. I noticed a HUGE difference in the handling department between the two wheels. The 17"s, require more attention under extreme cornering or aggressive slalom maneuvers. The 18"s were AWESOME! I would probably order the 17" alloys, for practicality issue, unless you know for sure that you will be driving aggressively VERY OFTEN. In that case get the 18"s.
Of the exterior colors, those who stand out are definitely the Passion Red (beautiful!) and the Titanium Gray. Black Sapphite is very nice, too, but it does dilute the car's presentation, IMO. I would say Titanium Gray w/ either Atacama or Nordkap and Passion Red with Atacama are GREAT combos! I wonder why Volvo does not offer Passion Red with Nordkap...I think that would be an AWESOME combination!
Finally, I had the good fortune to meet some very nice prople from Volvo such as Peter, Jay and John. And I must not forget some of the "Swedespeeders" that were there and I met for the first time! Ron (a.k.a. VolvoGrrrrr) was there from Mass., Pete (a.k.a. PeteW or husband of "she who must be obeyed) was there (he actually rode with us to NY, we picked him up on the way!), Ed Keating was there with his two daughters, John (a.k.a. Bluestrk) was there along with Rich! It was great meeting all of you and hope to see you again!
As a last comment, you should try to attend this event whether you have already bought an R or not planning to but are thinking about or just for fun, if you like Volvos. The event is great and the cars are a treat to drive!
Kudos to Volvo for a great event.
Yannis
Just got back from NY, where I had lots of fun!
Without repeating some of the comments posted from above, it was a very well organized event by Volvo. The tur out was tremendous and talking to a few poeple yielded only positive comments about the cars and the event. It was a nice, sunny day albeit with a blustery wind that made it pretty chilly!
The cars look MAGNIFICENT from up close! Those of you who have deposits on Rs and your cars are arriving in May/June, are in for a visual feast! Honestly! http://********************/smile/emsmile.gif http://********************/smile/emthup.gif
There were V70s and S60s present, in both manual and Geartronic. All colors (exterior) were present with the exception of the Flash Green metallic and Silver metallic, which was a small downer for me as I really wanted to see it. But as I do not expect many sales being Flash Green metallic, it was not a big loss. All three interiors (Gobi, Atacama and Nordkap) were in the various cars. Inside the registration tent, the first car that "greeted" me was a Black Sapphire metallic S60 R with the...ATACAMA interior! What a gorgeous sight! I must tell you all ONE thing. If you are considering the Atacama and are afraid of it....DON'T BE! It is not as orangy as the pictures show and it is not a HIGH WEAR leather! I was told that Volvo made some changes in the original "finish" of that leather and they changed it from the suede-like original appearance to a tougher treated leather. Visit your local retailer to feel a sample (we all have them) so you can see with your own eyes! I would definitely recommend it as it is a CLASSIC combo with the Black Sapphite or the Titanium Gray....G O R G E O U S!!! I can't believe that I liked it! And many more people there felt the same way!
Another GREAT interior is the Nordkap. The pictures from Las Vegas are way too blue. The actual interior is Graphite with a hint of blue/purple/silvery SHEEN! And that leather is so soft...better than a Natuzzi couch! I drove in a Black Sapphire S60 with the Nordkap (manual transmission) and the seats were unreal!
As long as I am covering colors and interiors, I would like to mention one item where Volvo MUST make a change as it is U G L Y ! One of the V70s had the Gobi interior, which a very light beige color (light sand). There were some gray accents on the door panels which is fine. But the trunk! I almost choked when I saw it! The cargo area seemed like an afterthought as it was identical to my car (I have graphite interior). The ENTIRE cargo area was...GRAPHITE! And it contrasted so badly with the front part of the rear seats. It seemed like someone made a mistake or just took the wrong color cargo area and GLUED it on a beige interior. I cannot believe that the design team in Gothen burg let it go. That alone would make me not consider the Gobi interior in the V70... http://********************/smile/emthdown.gif
Driving the cars was a treat. I cannot describe the SCARY amount of torque available in the 2nd gear....tremendous! In the Advanced setting, you can feel the bumps but it rewards you when pushing the car when cornering. The DSTC function is reduced and although you can induce quite a bit of understeer, it does not compare to what my car would have done under the same conditions (can you say "eat some cones"?) This car had just enough understeer and after the apex of the turn as you pushed the accelerator down, it took off like a bandit! I did not think the turbo lag was bad at all, certainly a lot less than what my T5 has...The exhaust sound was very nice...a soft growl and...polite! http://********************/smile/emwink.gif The DSTC function seems to be less intrusive than what I experienced in the XC90, in the moose avoidance test (I went through the same type of slalom with both cars).
The V70s had 17" alloys whereas the S60s had 18" alloys. All with P Zeros. I noticed a HUGE difference in the handling department between the two wheels. The 17"s, require more attention under extreme cornering or aggressive slalom maneuvers. The 18"s were AWESOME! I would probably order the 17" alloys, for practicality issue, unless you know for sure that you will be driving aggressively VERY OFTEN. In that case get the 18"s.
Of the exterior colors, those who stand out are definitely the Passion Red (beautiful!) and the Titanium Gray. Black Sapphite is very nice, too, but it does dilute the car's presentation, IMO. I would say Titanium Gray w/ either Atacama or Nordkap and Passion Red with Atacama are GREAT combos! I wonder why Volvo does not offer Passion Red with Nordkap...I think that would be an AWESOME combination!
Finally, I had the good fortune to meet some very nice prople from Volvo such as Peter, Jay and John. And I must not forget some of the "Swedespeeders" that were there and I met for the first time! Ron (a.k.a. VolvoGrrrrr) was there from Mass., Pete (a.k.a. PeteW or husband of "she who must be obeyed) was there (he actually rode with us to NY, we picked him up on the way!), Ed Keating was there with his two daughters, John (a.k.a. Bluestrk) was there along with Rich! It was great meeting all of you and hope to see you again!
As a last comment, you should try to attend this event whether you have already bought an R or not planning to but are thinking about or just for fun, if you like Volvos. The event is great and the cars are a treat to drive!
Kudos to Volvo for a great event.
Yannis
Re: R Driving Experience at Shea Stadium Today (RichardL)
I must agree with everyone. It's an amazing car. I was also at the Shea event. Damn, wish I had known you swedespeeders were there. I did the 1-3 event.
Like mentioned before, the Acatama is nice indeed. Somehow, it looks like leather is supposed to be that color, even though it doesn't.
Kudos to Volvo for putting together a wonderful event.
Oh yeah, what were your guys' times on the hot lap? I forgot to switch to
Advanced mode on my drive, so I got more body roll in the S-turns. Landed a 20.30 http://********************/smile/emsad.gif
BTW. AMCI is an independent tester that is also holding a Mazda 6 event. So, we can be assured that anything they said about the car is unbiased.
[Modified by drPheta, 3:42 PM 4-13-2003]
I must agree with everyone. It's an amazing car. I was also at the Shea event. Damn, wish I had known you swedespeeders were there. I did the 1-3 event.
Like mentioned before, the Acatama is nice indeed. Somehow, it looks like leather is supposed to be that color, even though it doesn't.
Kudos to Volvo for putting together a wonderful event.
Oh yeah, what were your guys' times on the hot lap? I forgot to switch to
Advanced mode on my drive, so I got more body roll in the S-turns. Landed a 20.30 http://********************/smile/emsad.gif
BTW. AMCI is an independent tester that is also holding a Mazda 6 event. So, we can be assured that anything they said about the car is unbiased.
[Modified by drPheta, 3:42 PM 4-13-2003]
Re: R Driving Experience at Shea Stadium Today (RichardL)
Thank you for the post. Looking forward to Chicago and the delivery of my car in May. My wife is going to Chicago with me. I have signed her up but she does not want to drive. When we are put in groups can she stay with me and end up in the car I'm assigned? If not, I guess she can walk around and take pictures for me. Thanks.
Thank you for the post. Looking forward to Chicago and the delivery of my car in May. My wife is going to Chicago with me. I have signed her up but she does not want to drive. When we are put in groups can she stay with me and end up in the car I'm assigned? If not, I guess she can walk around and take pictures for me. Thanks.
Re: R Driving Experience at Shea Stadium Today (RichardL)
Couple questions to those who drove the V. In the 40/20/40 split rear seat, is there a center armrest? I've noticed at my dealer that MANY cars don't have it. Yannis...You mention the sedans had 18's and V's had 17's, could the 17" feel have been from the extra weight up higher over the rear wheels? It looks like the DRL's are the inset light closest to the grill, are the high and low xenon's in the large single lamp? How was that switchblade key? I also noticed the wagons windows weren't tinted, that and Yannis's carpet info may indicate still a little pre-production. All the pics were great, any additional shots of interiors would be great (still trying to decide between Nordkap and Atacama in my Titanium V.
Couple questions to those who drove the V. In the 40/20/40 split rear seat, is there a center armrest? I've noticed at my dealer that MANY cars don't have it. Yannis...You mention the sedans had 18's and V's had 17's, could the 17" feel have been from the extra weight up higher over the rear wheels? It looks like the DRL's are the inset light closest to the grill, are the high and low xenon's in the large single lamp? How was that switchblade key? I also noticed the wagons windows weren't tinted, that and Yannis's carpet info may indicate still a little pre-production. All the pics were great, any additional shots of interiors would be great (still trying to decide between Nordkap and Atacama in my Titanium V.
Re: R Driving Experience at Shea Stadium Today (RichardL)
Last question as I read through your post. You mentioned the small groups and 3 to a car. I have an S60R on order. I'm I guaranteed a drive/ride in the S60R or is possible that I may only get to drive/experience the V70R? How do they decide who gets to drive in what vehicle. Thanks.
Last question as I read through your post. You mentioned the small groups and 3 to a car. I have an S60R on order. I'm I guaranteed a drive/ride in the S60R or is possible that I may only get to drive/experience the V70R? How do they decide who gets to drive in what vehicle. Thanks.
Re: R Driving Experience at Shea Stadium Today (JG50)
how did the passion red wagon look in real life? i look at a couple other sites on volvos, and it seemed the europeans didn't like the red, they mentioned that it looked like a big tomato. \
also, is everyone that went to shea still convinced that the manual is the way to go? oclv
how did the passion red wagon look in real life? i look at a couple other sites on volvos, and it seemed the europeans didn't like the red, they mentioned that it looked like a big tomato. \
also, is everyone that went to shea still convinced that the manual is the way to go? oclv
Re: R Driving Experience at Shea Stadium Today (upbull340)
So, don't worry. The event is run very well and there is enough time.
Yannis
It is pretty liberal. Actually, there is enough time to drive ALL three vehicles in your group. In my group, there were two S60s (one manual and one GT) and one V70 (GT). I drove the S60 manual multiple times and had enough time to drive the V70 for a couple runs.
So, don't worry. The event is run very well and there is enough time.
Yannis
Re: R Driving Experience at Shea Stadium Today (FineProperty)
Yes.
I know that the S60s are tighter, in general, from the V70s but the 17"s tires did not hold the same as the 18"s. Don't get me wrong; they did very well but under extreme loads (highly unilkely you are going to be doing all that when you own the car) the 18"s had the advantage.
Re: R Driving Experience at Shea Stadium Today (upbull340)
It seemed that in each group of three cars (about 20 drivers) there were two manuals and one automatic. Each person was asked what he or she wanted to drive. You could even have tried both if you wanted -- one for the first three laps and a different one for the timed lap.
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