ONE thing is for certain. When it comes to on-board safety equipment, they don't come much better than a Volvo.
With a range that includes sleek saloons, versatile estate cars and all-wheel-drive models, if you were ever unlucky enough to be in an accident then I bet you would wish it was when you were in one of the Swedish marque's offerings.
Active cruise control - which keeps you a safe distance from the vehicle in front, lane assist, dynamic stability, traction control, side impact protection system, trailer stability assist and Volvo's unique whiplash protection systems are just a few of the on-board safety goodies available from this Swedish superstar.
But now, Volvo has truly upped the bar by a distance, introducing a "City Safety" system to all models in the new XC60 cross-country range which hits showrooms this week.
And believe me, this new system, which is active only at speeds of up to 19 mph, is pretty impressive.
Using clever triple laser beam technology, if the system detects that you could run into a vehicle ahead, i.e. if a car in front stalls or brakes suddenly while heading on to a roundabout, it will automatically apply the brakes, even bringing the car to a halt.
With statistics showing that more than 75 per cent of all collisions take place at under 20mph, any system which eliminates or lowers the risk of an accident in slow-moving traffic is bound to be a winner.
But it's not just the fact that the XC60 is the safest vehicle Volvo have yet produced, it could be argued that it is also the most stylish.
Thanks to its all-wheel-drive characteristics, the coupé-styleded crossover XC60 offers superb driving characteristics, although because of its high stance - it actually has more ground clearance than its much larger XC90 sibling - it does produce a little roll when pushed along over more demanding back roads.
Three power units are available, consisting of two fuel-sipping five-cylinder diesels producing 161bhp and 183bhp and a 282bhp six-cylinder petrol.
Six-speed manual transmission comes as standard on both the diesel powerplants, while the powerful T6 petrol variant is fitted with Volvo's six-speed Geartronic automatic gearbox.
Both 2.4-litre oil-burning units return 37.7mpg on the combined cycle with CO2 emissions of 199g/km.
The entry level 2.4D has a top speed of 121mph while the zero to 60mph dash can be completed in an impressive 10 seconds. Equally impressive is the amount of grunt the big crossover pumps out. With 250lb/ft of torque available between 1,750 and 2,750 revs, it makes the XC60 a really impressive tow car.
Even in these days of belt tightening and recession worries, the global small SUV/crossover market is still one of the fastest-growing sectors and with prices in the UK starting at £24,750 it's not too hard to imagine that the new Volvo will prove a big hit.