Hot in the Lot
The Batmobile: Olivia Taylor's 2000 Volvo S40
NEIRAD enilno editionAlong with the new school year came a new myriad of senior cars to fill our parking lot. But no one expected the parking lot to be graced with the presence of the Batmobile. Olivia Taylor’s green 2000 Volvo S40 is all decked out with Batman symbols and bumper stickers with cute catch phrases like “Follow me to the Bat Cave” and a Batman steering wheel cover to show Taylor’s love (or obsession) for the classic superhero. This Batmobile has done some hard road time clocking in 84,111 miles.
Taylor’s parents chose a Volvo specifically after it saved Olivia’s life many years ago. “When I was around two years old my mom was driving our old Volvo station wagon and I was sitting in the back with our old dog. We got hit from behind and had to pull over at someone's house. Not only were my dog and I safe, but I got to spend the rest of the afternoon playing with a new friend. Since then my mom has continued to get Volvos and we have trusted them with our lives. The safety features of a Volvo were a huge deciding factor in our purchase,” she said. The Volvo is known to have a strong body structure, which distributes shock energy away from passengers, most likely contributing to Olivia surviving the accident. Yes, the safety factor has often made it seem like a dull choice, but one can’t question its record.
When choosing what car Olivia should get, she had her preferences, and her parents had requirements as well. “I wanted either a red or green car, and my parents picked it because they're designed to run for a very long time, so we found a smaller green Volvo which was perfect because obviously I would have a hard time driving a big car.”
Olivia's "Batmobile" has front wheel drive and a turbo engine - "I don't know what that means, but it sounds cool!" When asked how fast her car goes 0-60 mph, her response was "I wouldn't know, I'm not allowed to go 60 miles per hour." But this Volvo can go 0-60 mph in a respectable 8.3 seconds. This is achieved with a 1.9 liter inline four- cylinder engine with 160 horsepower and 170 lb/ft torque. This means that it has a very small engine but packs a powerful punch for its size. Compare this to a modern day Toyota Corolla, 10 years later, which has a 1.8 liter four cylinder engine that only puts out 132 horsepower and 128 lb/ft torque. The S40 demonstrates competitive power numbers as well as efficiency numbers for its time. The Volvo's fuel figures are 19 mpg city and 26 mpg highway. This fuel efficiency is achieved with its small four-cylinder engine combined with the low curb weight of 2,990lbs.
As Taylor pointed out, Volvo's have been known for their impeccable safety standards. However, common problems of these vehicles have involved engine cooling that jeopardizes its reliability. The model's thermostat was found to be faulty, which regulates the flow of coolant to the engine block to cool down the engine, opening and closing at certain temperatures. This is an easy but critical fix. Temperature gauges may also be faulty which can give inaccurate readings of engine temperature and radiator temperature. Again, this is a simple and cheap fix but very crucial to the engine. However, compared to other European car manufacturers such as Audi, VW, BMW, and Saab, the Volvo is virtually bulletproof.
The Volvo has always been in competition with the other big-name Swedish company, Saab. When asked if she felt competitive with the Saab, Olivia said, "Well my dad has always had Saabs, so it felt a bit like I was choosing sides when I had to choose between my mom's favorite cars and my dad's, but luckily he didn't take it personally. Obviously Volvos are better."
Naturally, Olivia really loves her car, but there are also some things the "Batmobile" lacks. "I love my car because it has automatic windows and because it's green and has an incredibly spacious trunk. I hate that it doesn't have a CD player and that it doesn't have a sunroof, I would do almost anything for a sunroof." Overall, Olivia guarantees that the Batmobile is here to stay.
Olivia Taylor is the first Hot in the Lot driver to receive a new monthly prize from Premiere Auto Sport in Darien. The store will give Olivia’s car a complete $250 detailing– a prize that will make Olivia and the other featured drivers even hotter in the lot!
