The words "Volvo" and "safety" have become so synonymous that you might think the Swedish automaker invented the air bag.

Actually, Volvo did not install its first air bag until 1987.

That was 14 years after General Motors tried to sell cars equipped, not just with driver-side bags, but dual air bags. What's more, they were dual-stage inflators like the latest versions, modified to avoid injury to small or elderly passengers.

Ford Motor Co. even had an experimental fleet with air bags in 1971, two years before GM's Chevrolet division.

With no consumer appetite for safety options (heck, it was hard even to get Americans to use seatbelts), Ford and GM dropped the innovation in 1976.

Thus, "General Motors" is not synonymous with safety. But that's unfortunate. Mention GM and "safety," and old timers are more likely to recall the dinky Chevy Corvair that inspired Ralph Nader's 1965 book "Unsafe at Any Speed."

Volvo, whose name means "I roll" in Latin, carved out the safety niche over many years, with innovations such as the safety cage in 1944, three-point safety belts in 1959 and rear-facing child seats and childproof locks in 1972.

Volvo's genius was cashing in on safety when Americans were obsessed with looking smart, safe and Scandinavian.

Volvo did advance the supplemental safety system with the first side air bags in the flagship 850 sedan in 1995, using an invention from Swedish supplier Autoliv.

German car maker BMW responded with head-protection air bags in the 1998 model 7-Series sedan.

If any brand deserves a leader's rep in safety today, it's probably Mercedes-Benz, which beat Volvo to air bags by seven years, introduced traction control and is reportedly developing a "fatigue warning system" for drivers.

Today, safety is so marketable that it would be unimaginable not to advertise it. Window stickers typically break out a long list of devices and systems that protect passengers.

Volvo's best-seller, the XC90, for example, identifies these features as people protectors:

Dynamic stability traction control;

Tire pressure monitoring system;

Unibody construction with high-strength steel passenger safety cage;

Rollover protection system with Boron steel reinforced roof;

Inflatable curtain head protection for all three rows of passengers;

Roll stability control;

Side-impact protection system;

Driver and front-passenger (dual-stage) air bags;

Dual attachment systems for child seats;

Whiplash protection system;

Five three-point safety belts with height adjustment and force limiters;

Five padded head restraints;

Turn signal indicators in side mirrors;

Perimeter lighting system;

Immobilizer anti-theft ignition system with coded keys;

Security system with backup battery for siren;

Tailgate auto wiper system;

Child safety locks in rear doors;

Integrated front fog lights, etc.

While the list may not lend itself to poetry slams, it represents a gigantic leap from the days when American consumers couldn't be bothered with seatbelts. And did I mention the Xenon headlamps that swivel to illuminate more of the road?

Today, we're so safety conscious that few drivers would think of leaving home without a cell phone, much less a seatbelt. Vehicles like the XC90 come with Volvo's "On Call" road assistance, and satellite tracking has become a fairly common option.

In the late 1980s, I ignored my wife's pleas to not drive our 1985 Ford Tempo on a vacation from Denver to Yellowstone National Park with her, our 6-year-old son and our basset hound. "You know this car is going to break down," she said, citing a long history of mysterious mechanical failures.

To my relief, the car made it there fine. It was on the way back that it broke down, burning up a serpentine belt that looped around a faulty air conditioner pulley. Able to drive the car on battery juice to a repair shop, I found a creative mechanic with a belt that could bypass the AC pulley. "This should work long enough to get you home," he said, unconvincingly.

It was a long, long, long 500-mile journey through grizzly country and vast landscapes with no prospects for finding help in the event the car performed as it had in the past.

Would I make that trip in the XC90? With pleasure.

I would enjoy the sculptured bucket seats upholstered in soft leather and would really appreciate the roomy interior and eight-speaker audio system. With three rows of seating for seven passengers, I wouldn't mind traveling with friends, family or an extra basset or two.

Loading is extremely easy with the lift gate that covers most of the back end, leaving a small tailgate that can also flip down. This means you don't have to lift heavy items over a large gate, but the gate keeps roly-poly cans and groceries from falling out the back.

The only changes I would wish for in the all-wheel-drive XC90 would be a stronger engine and a lower price. The 235-horsepower, in-line 6-cylinder engine tended to rev noisily when I punched the accelerator at about 35 mph en route to freeway cruising speeds. But the higher-performance V8 boosts the price from $36,135 to $46,425.

Oh, and fuel economy is not exactly a point of pride. At 16 miles per gallon in the city and 22 mpg highway, the XC90's consumption is going to cost you about $2,377 per year.

But safety? Priceless.

WHAT'S NEW: Inline 6-cylinder engine replaces turbocharged 5-cylinder version; new grille, bumpers and taillights; interior upgrade.

PLUSES: Design, comfort, safety, versatility.

MINUSES: Fuel economy, acceleration, price.

BOTTOM LINE: Strong contender but not leader of the pack.

(Richard Williamson writes about automobiles for Scripps Howard News Service.)