2011 VOLVO V60 Owners Manual

06 During your journey
Loading
06

273 General information on loading
Payload depends on the car's kerb weight. The
total of the weight of the passengers and all
accessories reduces the car's payload by a
corresponding weight. For more detailed infor-
mation on weights, see page 347.
The tailgate is opened via a button on
the lighting panel or the remote con-
trol key, see page 63.
WARNING
The car's driving characteristics change
depending on the weight and distribution of
the load.
To bear in mind when loading
•Position the load firmly against the back-
rest in front.
•Put wide loads in the centre.
•Heavy objects should be placed as low as
possible. Avoid placing heavy loads on
lowered backrests.
•Cover sharp edges with something soft to
avoid damaging the upholstery.
•Secure all loads to the load retaining eye-
lets with straps or web lashings.
WARNING
A loose object weighing 20 kg can, in a
frontal collision at a speed of 50 km/h, carry
the impact of an item weighing 1000 kg.
WARNING
The protection provided by the inflatable
curtain in the headlining may be compro-
mised or eliminated by high loads.
•Never load cargo above the backrest.
WARNING
Always secure the load. During heavy brak-
ing the load may otherwise shift, causing
injury to the car's occupants.
Cover sharp edges and sharp corners with
something soft.
Switch off the engine and apply the parking
brake when loading/unloading long items.
Otherwise you may accidentally knock the
gear lever or gear selector with the load into
a drive position - and the car could then
move off.
Front seat
The passenger seat backrest can also be
folded for an extra long load, see page 83.
Roof load
Using load carriersTo avoid damaging the car and for maximum
possible safety while driving, the load carriers
designed by Volvo are recommended.
Carefully follow the installation instructions
supplied with the carriers.
•Check periodically that the load carriers
and load are properly secured. Lash the
load securely with retaining straps.
•Distribute the load evenly over the load
carriers. Put the heaviest objects at the
bottom.
•The size of the area exposed to the wind,
and therefore fuel consumption, increase
with the size of the load.
•Drive gently. Avoid quick acceleration,
heavy braking and hard cornering.
WARNING
The car's centre of gravity and driving cha-
racteristics are altered by roof loads. For
information on maximum permitted roof
load, including load carriers and any space
box, see page 347.
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06 During your journey
Loading
06
274* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
Lowering the rear seat backrest
To simplify loading in the cargo area, the rear
seat backrest can be folded down, see
page 85.
Load retaining eyelets
The folding load retaining eyelets are used to
fasten straps in order to anchor items in the
cargo area.
WARNING
Hard, sharp and/or heavy objects that are
loose or protrude could cause injury during
heavy braking.
Always secure large and heavy objects with
a seatbelt or cargo retaining straps.
Bag holder*
Bag holder under folding hatch in the floor.
The bag holder keeps carrier bags in place and
prevents them from overturning and spreading
their contents across the cargo area.
1. Fold up the holder, which is part of the floor
hatch.
2. Fasten the bags with strap and secure the
carrying handle in the hooks.
12 V electrical socket*
Lower the cover to access the electrical
socket.
•The socket also provides voltage when the
remote control key is not in the ignition
switch.
NOTE
Remember that using the electrical socket
with the engine switched off involves the
risk of discharging the car's battery.
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06 During your journey
Cargo area
06

* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.275 Safety net*
Storage space, safety net cassettes.
A rollable safety net comprising two cassettes
has a storage space under the cargo area floor
hatch.
Securing the net cassettes
The two-part safety net cassette is secured on
the rear of the backrest. The narrowest cas-
sette is secured on the left-hand side (seen
from the tailgate).
1. Fold the rear seat's backrest forward, see
page 86.
2. Align the cassette's anchor rails in front of
the backrest attachment lugs
.
3. Slide the cassette into the attachment lugs
.
4. Fold back and lock the backrests.
•Removing the cassettes takes place in
reverse order.
Using the safety net
Pull the net up from the cassettes. The net is
self-locking after about 1 minute if the rear
seat's backrests are raised.
Pull up the right-hand section of the net
using its strap.
Insert the rod in the mounting on the right-
hand side and then press it forward – the
rod locks in with a click.
Pull out the rod's telescope section and
click it in on the other side.
Pull up the left-hand safety net and hook it
into the rod.
•Folding up takes place in reverse order.
The net can also be used when the rear seat's
backrests are folded forward.
Removing the net cassettes1. Roll the safety nets into the cassettes in
accordance with the procedure in the sec-
tion entitled "Using the safety net", but in
reverse.
2. Fold the whole backrest forward.
3. Slide the cassettes out until they loosen
from the anchor rails.
Store the cassettes in their compartment under
the cargo area floor hatch.
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06 During your journey
Cargo area
06
276* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
WARNING
Loads in the cargo area must be firmly
secured, even if the safety net is correctly
fitted.
Safety net combined with cargo cover
Puller-straps for raising the net.
The safety net can also be raised from the rear
seat when the cargo cover is extended.
Follow the procedure in the section entitled
"Using the safety net". The straps for raising
are located by the arrows.
Safety grille*
A safety grille prevents loads or pets from
being thrown forward in the passenger com-
partment in the event of sudden braking.
Folding upTake hold of the bottom of the safety grille and
pull back/up.
IMPORTANT
The safety grille cannot be folded up or
down when a cargo cover is fitted.
Fitting/removalThe safety grille is normally permanently instal-
led in the car because it can easily be foldedup in the roof and so be out of the way if a
longer cargo area is required. However, if
desired, the safety grille can be dismantled and
removed from the car.
For information about the tools required and
methods for fitting/removal, see the installation
instructions
1 that were included with the initial
purchase.
For safety reasons, the safety grille must
always be correctly fastened and secured
when being refitted.
Cargo cover*
Pull the cargo cover over the load and hook it
into the recesses at the cargo area's rear posts.
1Installation instructions no. 30756681.
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06 During your journey
Cargo area
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277
IMPORTANT
The safety grille cannot be folded up or
down when the cargo cover is fitted.
Attaching the cargo coverMove one end piece of the cover into the
recess on the side panel.
Move the other end piece into the corres-
ponding recess.
Press both sides in. A "click" should be
audible and the red marking should disap-
pear.
> Check that both end pieces are locked.
Removing the cargo cover1. Press in one end piece button and lift it out.
2. Carefully angle the cover up/out and the
other end piece loosens automatically.
Lowering the cargo cover's rear sealing
disc
In its rolled-in position, the cargo cover's rear
sealing disc protrudes horizontally into the
cargo area when it is fitted.

Pull the sealing disc back gently, free from
its support shelves, and lower.
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06 During your journey
Driving with a trailer
06
278* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
General
Payload depends on the car's kerb weight. The
total of the weight of the passengers and all
accessories, e.g. towbar, reduces the car's
payload by a corresponding weight. For more
detailed information on weights, see
page 347.
If the towing bracket is mounted by Volvo, then
the car is delivered with the necessary equip-
ment for driving with a trailer.
•The car's towing bracket must be of an
approved type.
•If the towbar is retrofitted, check with your
Volvo dealer that the car is fully equipped
for driving with a trailer.
•Distribute the load on the trailer so that the
weight on the towing bracket complies
with the specified maximum towball load.
•Increase the tyre pressure to the recom-
mended pressure for a full load. For tyre
pressure label location, see page 295.
•The engine is loaded more heavily than
usual when driving with a trailer.
•Do not tow a heavy trailer when the car is
brand new. Wait until it has been driven at
least 1000 km.
•The brakes are loaded much more than
usual on long and steep downhill slopes.
Downshift to a lower gear and adjust your
speed.
•For safety reasons, the maximum permit-
ted speed for the car when coupled with a
trailer should not be exceeded. Follow the
regulations in force for the permitted
speeds and weights.
•Maintain a low speed when driving with a
trailer up long, steep ascents.
•Avoid driving with a trailer on inclines of
more than 12%.
Trailer cableAn adapter is required if the car's towing
bracket has 13 pin electrics and the trailer has
7 pin electrics. Use an adapter cable approved
by Volvo. Make sure the cable does not drag
on the ground.
Direction indicators and brake lights on
the trailer
If any of the trailer's lamps for direction indica-
tors are broken, then the combined instrument
panel's symbol for direction indicators flashes
faster than normal and the display shows the
text
Bulb fail - Ind. signal trailer.
If any of the trailer's lamps for the brake light
are broken then the
Bulb fail - Stop lamp
trailer text is shown.
Level control*The rear shock absorbers maintain a constant
height irrespective of the car's load (up to the
maximum permissible weight). When the car isstationary the rear of the car lowers slightly,
which is normal.
Trailer weightsFor information on Volvo's permitted trailer
weights, see page 348.
NOTE
The stated maximum permitted trailer
weights are those permitted by Volvo.
National vehicle regulations can further limit
trailer weights and speeds. Towbars can be
certified for higher towing weights than the
car can actually tow.
WARNING
Follow the stated recommendations for
trailer weights. Otherwise, the car and trailer
may be difficult to control in the event of
sudden movement and braking.
Manual gearbox
OverheatingWhen driving with a trailer in hilly terrain in a hot
climate there may be a risk of overheating.
•Do not run the engine at higher revolutions
than 4500 rpm (diesel engines: 3500 rpm)
- otherwise the oil temperature may
become too high.
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06 During your journey
Driving with a trailer
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279
Diesel engine 5-cyl
•In the event of a risk of overheating the
optimal speed for the engine is 2300-3000
rpm for optimal circulation of the coolant.
Automatic gearbox
OverheatingWhen driving with a trailer in hilly terrain in a hot
climate there may be a risk of overheating.
•An automatic gearbox selects the optimum
gear related to load and engine speed.
•In the event of overheating a warning sym-
bol illuminates on the instrument panel
combined with a text message - follow the
recommendation given.
Steep inclines
•Do not lock the automatic transmission in
a higher gear than the engine "can cope
with" - it is not always a good idea to drive
at a high gear with low engine revolutions.
IMPORTANT
See also the specific information on slow
driving with trailer for cars with the
Powershift automatic transmission on page
119.
Parking on a hill1. Depress the foot brake.
2. Activate the parking brake.
3.
Move the gear selector to position P.
4. Release the foot brake.
•Move the gear selector to park position P
when parking an automatic car with a
hitched trailer. Always use the parking
brake.
•Block the wheels with chocks when park-
ing a car with hitched trailer on a hill.
Starting on a hill1. Depress the foot brake.
2. Move the gear selector to driving posi-
tion D.
3. Release the parking brake.
4. Release the foot brake and start driving off.
Towing bracket
If the car is equipped with a detachable towbar,
the installation instructions for the loose sec-
tion must be followed carefully, see
page 281.
WARNING
If the car is fitted with a Volvo detachable
towbar:
•Follow the installation instructions care-
fully.
•The detachable section must be locked
with the key before setting off.
•Check that the indicator window shows
green.
Important checks
•The towbar's towball must be cleaned and
greased regularly.
NOTE
If a towball hitch with vibration damper is
used, it is not necessary to grease the tow-
ball.
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06 During your journey
Driving with a trailer
06
280
Storing the detachable towbar
Towbar storage space.
IMPORTANT
Always remove the towbar after use and
store it in the appointed location in the car.
Specifications
G021485
Dimensions, mounting points (mm)
A998
B80
C854
D427
E109
F282
GSide member
HBall centre
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