So I made my boyfriend Greig watch Twilight with me (for research purposes, you understand).

At the end of the movie (confession: my second screening), I searched his face, wondering what he thought of the wildly popular film.

Was he feeling the movie magic?

"Hmm," he said, seemingly unimpressed. "Well, I suppose Edward's Volvo C30 was pretty cool".

For those lost in the plot, the third installment of the Twilight saga, Eclipse, has just wrapped production in Vancouver.

The second movie New Moon -- shot here last year -- opens in theatres November 20. If you have a teenage daughter, she's probably camped out in front of a downtown theatre right now, fogging up the ticket window with breathy anticipation.

English actor Robert Pattinson, plays pouting blood sucker and love interest Edward Cullen to actress Kristen Stewart's love-struck mortal Bella in the popular tetralogy (four-banger).

In the first film, Edward gets to rip around the damp roads of the misty and moody Pacific Northwest coastal town of Forks, Washington, in a silver Volvo C30 at breakneck speeds. The car appears so often in Twilight, that it's almost a character itself (notably Greig's favourite character).

As a vampire, Edward has the power to drive inexplicably fast without worry of a fender bender.

He also appears to have a built-in radar detector due to mind-reading capabilities.

Unlike us mere mortals, he can hear the cop's conversation beyond the bend.

He's a far better driver than any teenage boy I've encountered, although in the film, Edward finally admits to Bella he's not 17; more like 108.

He's got 92 years of driving experience behind him.

Imagine the safe driving discount he could demand of his insurance broker if wasn't trapped in the lithe body of a high school senior.

When Twilight premiered, I wondered if obsessed young fans everywhere were saving their after-school-job money, dreaming of a C30 of their own, much the way I dreamed of owning a DeLorean after seeing Back to the Future.

Some Twihards may be in for a surprise at the New Moon premiere: Edward has traded in his flashy C30 for the roomy family-minded Volvo XC60 T6 AWD crossover.

Spoiler alert: Edward manages to impregnate Bella with a potentially fanged fetus in the fourth and final film Breaking Dawn.

Unfortunately for Bella, there's a gang of "bad" vampires after her (a.k.a. human blood suckers, unlike Edward who subsists on deer and cougar blood). Edward's raison d'être is now to keep Bella safe.

For vampires and customers looking for a Volvo with all-road get-away capability, the XC60 crossover equipped with City Safety is a solution.

City Safety is the very latest in safety technology.

It's a low-speed automatic braking system.

This unique technology from Volvo helps Edward reduce the chance of a low-speed collision.

If Edward does not brake in time, the XC60 will do it for him.

City Safety monitors vehicles ahead -- stopped at a light or moving in the same direction. Situated at the top of the windshield are laser sensors that gauge the distance between Edward's XC60 and the car in front.

The XC60 brakes and comes to a stop automatically if the distance to the car ahead abruptly decreases, thus avoiding a collision as long as Edward is travelling under 30 km/h.

If he's speeding as usual, the XC60 will still slow automatically, lessoning the impact.

If Edward is asleep at the wheel (impossible as vampires never sleep) a sensor called Driver Alert will warn him that he is possibly nodding off for the first time in almost a century.

Volvo's XC60 is the safest Volvo yet.

It may just be the Big Brother of cars with features like Lane Departure Warning that audibly warns the driver when the car crosses the line.

A front and rear parking sensor assists through a series of audible beeps while backing into a tight spot.

Roll Stability Control monitors the vehicle rotation around its vertical axis.

Active Bending Headlights turn with the steering wheel, rounding dark corners before you do.

Particularly useful is the Blind Spot Information System which provides warnings of vehicles travelling in the XC60's blind spots; handy if Vampires are sneaking up on you.

This Volvo is outfitted with airbags galore: multi-stage front airbags, side curtain airbags, and dual-chamber side airbags with side impact protection.

The vehicle's body structure is designed to provide protection in a frontal collision, while Volvo's Side Impact Protection System maintains an adequate space for the passengers in the event of an accident.

Inside the cabin, a panoramic sunroof reaches back towards the roomy rear seats providing so much light, it's almost like driving a convertible.

Being a vampire, Edward might prefer a solid roof over his head.

Power leather heated seats will keep his chilly limbs warm.

My test unit came with chocolate brown and beige leather two-tone seats reminiscent of a saddle shoe design.

The interior is luxurious with wood inlays and quality materials.

The Navi system was easy to program, but came with remote control on which I had to press an enter button each time I started the car to agree to drive safely.

If there was a redundant "enter" button on the dash or steering I couldn't locate it. Edward, an accomplished classically trained pianist, would appreciate the six-disc CD changer, eight speakers, satellite radio and input for his iPod.

When the sun suddenly broke out on what had been a gloomy, slippery day in Vancouver, I took my test unit to Pacific Spirit Regional Park.

Driving the small and sporty C30 back to back with the XC60, I was curious to see if the XC60 would feel cumbersome.

With a powerful turbocharged six-cylinder engine producing 281 hp and 295 pound-feet of torque, the XC60 is a decent performer for a sport-ute. In seven seconds I was easily up to highway speed.

This Volvo crossover felt great accelerating out of the corners on the wet road with just a hint of roll.

Parked in a grassy meadow, I played around with three suspension settings: Comfort, Sport and Advanced, trying to imagine which setting a vampire might prefer.

Volvo's All-wheel drive with Instant Traction is standard equipment.

The AWD is electronically controlled and can sense which wheel or wheels has the best grip on the ground and distributes engine power between the front and rear wheels automatically.

The XC60 easily climbed a muddy slope in the park, something Edward's C30 could not have managed.

SPECS

Price: starts at $49,995 As tested: $59,270 (includes tech package and options)

Fuel economy: 13.5 L/100 km city 9.1/L km hwy

Pros: luxurious, performance sport-ute with cutting edge safety features

Negs: vampires can still outrun you (apparently)

lmacfarlane@shaw.ca