Infotainment: combining in-car business with pleasure

• Dolby Pro Logic II - the first in the car world
• Minidisc
• Volvo Interactive
• New RTI generation
• Voice control
• Broadband network

The vehicle is developing increasingly into an extension of both the home and office. Buyers of cars in the premium segment expect to be able to communicate with the world at large quickly and simply - to exchange information or even to enjoy entertainment while on the move.

The key word is infotainment, a combination of "information" and "entertainment". This concept encompasses the audio system, navigation facility, telephone and mobile office services.

In the Volvo XC90, considerable importance has been attached to providing comprehensive and innovative infotainment. One result of this focus is that Volvo is the first carmaker in the world to launch Dolby Prologic II in a car audio system.

Dolby Pro Logic II - for optimum audio perception

Volvo introduced the Dolby Pro Logic Surround Sound system back in 1997, when it was featured in the Volvo C70. It represented a revolution in mobile audio quality. Dolby Pro Logic II is a further development of the system, tailored specifically for the in-car audio environment.

Dolby Pro Logic II creates the conditions for optimum audio perception even for passengers in the rear seat, and the sound profile is both broader and more natural.

The Volvo XC90 can be specified with 13 loudspeakers, one of which is an 8-inch 140-watt active subwoofer for better bass quality. The Alpine surround amplifier is rated at 305 watts and it can be ordered with a CD-player for either one or six discs. The CD-player can be supplemented with a Minidisc unit.

Rear-seat passengers have access to their own control unit for the audio system, located conveniently in the C-post. There they can plug in their headphones and listen to a separate audio source, so they are not limited to what is coming through the vehicles's loudspeakers. This means that parents and children can each enjoy their different taste in music at the same time - making a long trip in a Volvo XC90 even more enjoyable.

Rear Seat Entertainment

The Volvo XC 90 offers more than audio entertainment - it offers pictures as well. A DVD player with a 7-inch wide screen can be fitted in the roof, where it can be see by passengers in seat rows two and three.

The design is extremely compact and the screen is lowered on powered hinges. The functions are remote-controlled and wireless headphones can be used to avoid disturbing other passengers in the car. The DVD player plays ordinary CDs as well.

Road and Traffic Information

The RTI (Road and Traffic Information) navigation system (option) is an important part of the infotainment unit in the Volvo XC90. The crystal-clear 6.5-inch widescreen display is recessed into the upper face of the instrument panel, from where it pops up at the touch of a button in the steering wheel.

The Volvo XC90 is equipped with the latest generation of Volvo RTI. This means, for instance, that the system is DVD-based and features new ways of logging in the destination, for example via the postal code. A function whereby the system calculates the estimated time of arrival is also included, along with a map that is accurate down to 50 metres.

A number of functions in the navigation system can be programmed to respond to voice controls.

Interactive in your XC90

The navigation system's screen also serves as part of the Volvo Interactive functions in the Volvo XC90. Via the integrated GSM telephone, the driver can log onto the Internet and read and send E-mail.

The Volvo Interactive functions also includes a voice recorder, whereby the driver uses the mobile phone's handsfree microphone to record and listen to brief memos.

The Volvo Interactive functions will initially only be available on the European market.

All infotainment communication in the Volvo XC90 takes place in a digital, optical high-speed network, that is to say a network of broadband type.

Most of the vehicles's antennas are gathered together in a single module located on the vehicle's roof, securing a good reception and enhancing the design.

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