Loading The Cargo Area - Volvo XC70 Owner's Manual

05 During your journey
Loading
General
The load capacity is affected by what is
mounted on the car, such as a towbar, load
carriers and roof box. The load capacity of
the car is also reduced by the number of pas-
sengers and their weight.
WARNING
The car's driving characteristics change
depending on the weight and distribution of
the load.

Loading the cargo area

Stop the engine and apply the parking brake
05
when loading or unloading long objects. The
gear lever/selector can be knocked out of
position by long loads, which could set the
car in motion.
• 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 a
lowered backrest.
• 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.
166
Lowering the rear seat backrest
To simplify loading in the cargo area, the rear
seats of the car can be folded down, see
page 69.
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.
Always secure the load.
WARNING
The protection provided by the inflatable
curtain in the headlining may be compro-
mised or eliminated if the load is too high.
Never load cargo above the backrest. Dur-
ing heavy braking the load may otherwise
shift, causing injury to the car's occupants.
WARNING
Always secure the load. During heavy brak-
ing the load may otherwise shift, causing
injury to the car's occupants.
Protect sharp edges with something soft.
Turn off the engine and apply the parking
brake when loading or unloading long ob-
jects. Otherwise you may accidentally
knock the gear lever or gear selector with
the load and cause a gear to engage and
the car to move off.