Volvo S60
Volvo has been gearing up the promotion machine for its new S60, and it
can be taking an unusual tack, referring on the Swedish automaker's
latest sedan because the sportiest and "Naughtiest Volvo Ever." This, of
course, might appear a bit like proclaiming that Greg was the rebel
inside the Brady Bunch. It may possibly have been true, but the Swedish
automaker's lineup hasn't exactly been fraught together with the sort of
characters that your parents warned you about, has it?
If this S60 is 'naughty,' it can be probably in the same way that going
to prom with your mother is 'naughty.' It is wrong, definitely...
particularly for your couple sharing your limo. It may possibly even be a
little bit dangerous – for your social life – but in the conclude from
the day, the core wholesomeness of both mothers and Volvos can't be
denied, appropriate?
Effectively, perhaps not. Right after all, although it was developed underneath the Ford umbrella, this new S60 comes to market with new ownership (China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group) and new leadership (former Volkswagen of America head Stefan Jacoby)! And that's some fairly sexy sheetmetal – specifically when it can be slathered in such an assertive paint color. But what's going on beneath the skin? You'll need to follow the jump to discover out.
Apparently taking a year off has worked wonders on the S60's complexion and attitude (there was no 2010 model yr)! The nose of our Vibrant Copper S60 appears suitably insistent, with big, intricately detailed headlamps drawn properly back to the front fenders, LED markers and a sizable trapezoidal grille proudly displaying Volvo's 'slash' bar and emblem.
In profile, the sculpted, flowing roofline combined with all the S60's abbreviated overhangs yields an virtually hatchback-like back deck, plus the forward-canted cut lines within the rocker panels do a fine job of emphasizing the design's visual thrust, as does the subtle 'double wave' line over the wheel wells. Regardless of the far more rakish greenhouse, Volvo promises an extra 2.1 inches of rear legroom brought about by a 2.4-inch increase in wheelbase more than the first-generation S60. In its bid for entry in to the 'four-door coupe' club, having said that, front and rear headroom takes a modest haircut to 37.6 inches and 37.four inches, respectively (down a number of tenths of an inch to the exit model)
Even aided by the nominally lower roof height, there's still a class-competitive quantity of rear seat space.
The S60's rear aspect undoubtedly echoes that of the outgoing vehicle, though new, two-piece LED taillamps now arch to the decklid, and also the back bumper swoops down a lot more artfully into a blacked-out recess for that dual exhausts.
Overall, the new S60's visuals are fresh and appealing, nevertheless they clearly echo the strong-shouldered heritage from the previous generation – 1 with the initial few models that sparked Volvo's Peter Horbury-led design renaissance.
Volvo has chosen to launch the S60 in full-house T6 all-wheel-drive trim, but regardless of this, the price of entry is $38,550 ($37,700 MSRP plus $850 destination)! Though that is very well above the outgoing auto, there's gobs of further electrical power and kit, and crucially, it still appears like a really excellent value. For comparison's sake, to purchase an equivalent 300-horsepower 2011 BMW 335i XDrive would expense $43,475 – and that's having a very much shorter standard equipment list.
Oh, yes, did we mention this S60 T6 comes with 300 horsepower? The 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder has been turbocharged and intercooled to yield 300 ponies at 5,600 rpm along with a stout 325 pound-feet of torque from 2,100-4,200 rpm on regular unleaded gas. That electrical power is routed via an Aisin six-speed automatic gearbox which has a activity mode and +/- guide gate.
We were provided the chance to stretch the S60's considerable legs around the flowing, tree-lined roads around Portland and at Oregon Raceway Park, a little-known and well out-of-the-way road course in Grass Valley hidden among the windmill farms. The 2.3-mile, 14-corner circuit is a especially demanding track, with loads of blind and off-camber corners and near-constant elevation alterations. It's, in other words, not the sort of facility at which we would expect Volvo to stage a vehicle launch.
But then again, maybe we should. Veteran racers Randy Pobst and Andy Pilgrim have just cinched the SCCA World Challenge series' GT Class in their K-Pax Racing S60, besting everything from Ford Mustang GTs to Porsche 911 GT3s, Aston Martin DB9s and Dodge Vipers. And Volvo has a proud tradition in both equally touring car and rally racing, however consumers continue to think of them as small extra than secure, premium family transportation devices.
All too aware of this perception, Volvo trotted out Pobst at ORP to scare the chinos off a few journalists in an S60 equipped with Volvo's Four-C adaptive damping package, a $750 solution that gives the driver the choice of Chassis, Activity and Advanced settings. In order to dr home a extra athletic message, Volvo also fitted non-Four-C equipped cars with a instead sporty suspension which is roughly 35 % stiffer than that of its big brother, the S80.
Even though the S60's swoopy new sheetmetal secrets a reworked version from the very same chassis and MacPherson strut/multilink rear suspension, Volvo has made a string of meaningful upgrades to bring the S60's handling as much as velocity. Alterations consist of steering that is not only 10 % quicker, but much more direct thanks to reinforced steering tubes that double the system's stiffness to decrease slop. Stiffer springs and bushings have been fitted for far better body handle and transient responses, and the new suspension is sufficiently firm adequate that engineers saw fit to add a far more relaxed 'Touring' suspension as a no-cost alternative for conventional Volvo buyers seeking a little bit a lot more compliance.
Provided our limited track time and ORP's technical nature, we expended as significantly effort attempting to learn the line as we did attempting to get a really feel to the S60, but even so, we came away fairly impressed. Despite the fact that Volvo's all-wheel-drive system defaults to sending some 95 % of its electrical power to the entrance wheels, we found the S60 to be remarkably effectively behaved and resistant to front-end plow the two within the circuit and on Oregon's sinuous mountain roads.
Credit goes to the two the fast-acting Haldex AWD and towards the S60's distinctive torque-vectoring technology. Even though not as sophisticated (or weighty) as some other systems, Volvo's 'Corner traction management by torque vectoring' hardware utilizes the brakes plus the car's traction-control hardware to curb understeer by braking the inside wheel during aggressive cornering. The system only works beneath acceleration and exclusively across the entrance axle, however it seemed to do its job really successfully. Seasoned drivers will not confuse the S60's moves for that of a rear-driver, but with its beneficial physique control and surprisingly accurate steering courtesy with the 235/40-series 18-inch Continentals, most won't complain, either.
Ability delivery from the 24-valve straight-six is hitch-free, providing loads of mid-range juice for dispatching lollygagging logging trucks, plus the drivetrain programming offers beneficial reaction times and refinement from both the engine and transmission. Volvo estimates a 0-60 mph time of 5.8 seconds and caps the S60's top speed at 130 mph, both of which appear about right for this three,900-pound automobile. Thanks to revised engine internals with less friction, Volvo estimates fuel economy at 18 miles per gallon in the city and 26 mpg on the highway, figures that are within the funds with other six-cylinder all-wheel dr offerings inside segment.
In spite of its new, sportier really feel, you can find a couple of clear missteps inside the S60's bid for high-performance credentials. The six-speed Geartronic 'box resolutely refuses to sit at the 6,500 rpm redline when in handbook mode, and even extra oddly, you'll find no paddle shifters offered – Volvo executives we spoke with said that there wasn't considerably call for them in customer clinics, and besides, the organization doesn't provide them on other models, so it would have had to develop them. Not quite naughty, Volvo. Officials suggest that the company has no plans to offer you a twin-clutch transmission, so we're hoping that a manual gearbox arrives when a less-costly five-cylinder, front-wheel-drive S60 bows inside the initial quarter of 2011.
You'll note that we haven't actually discussed the S60's interior nevertheless, and which is because although it can be handsome and well-executed, it also provides couple of surprises compared to other recent Volvos. Which is not a negative issue, nonetheless, as we've come to love the brand's clean waterfall center console, floating gauge needles and 'seated man' HVAC controls. There's a normal seven-inch screen that sits at top dead center on the dashboard regardless of whether you opt for navigation or not, and thankfully, Volvo has jettisoned the frankly dreadful steering-wheel joystick/remote management GPS interface utilized to the XC60 in favor of a far more conventional knob-based technique.
All S60s will come common with Volvo's sport seats, and our cabin arrived decked out an attractive Beechwood Brown hides and Shimmer Graphite inlays scheme (that's orangey-brown leather and smoked silver trim to you non-designer sorts). Even though comfortable and sharp looking, we usually desire a bit much more lateral bolstering in activity sedan chairs, but otherwise the comfort, adjustability and ergonomics in the S60 remain first-rate.
Sexy and sporting talk aside, it's impossible to escape a Volvo launch without talking about security gear – specially when there's so considerably to take into account. In addition on the City Safety vehicle-avoidance hardware 1st shown on the XC60 softroader, Volvo has augmented the system's capability by which include Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake. That may be, the S60's radar and camera process will detect if Small Timmy has run willy-nilly into the path of a Volvo though the driver is, say, fiddling with the audio program trying to find NPR. At speeds up to 22 mph, the S60 will automatically deploy full braking ability (along with numerous alarm lights and sounds) to avoid making a rather damaging impression about the youngster. At speeds above that, the technique will work to slow the rate of impact and minimize damage.
Naturally, there is also a spate of extra safety equipment readily available that includes every thing from a lane departure warning method to a driver drowsiness detector, 180-degree front-end blind spot cameras (as on a Bentley Mulsanne) and adaptive cruise management.
Even if you're not significantly for safety gewgaws, one particular nice security feature that Volvo hasn't performed adequate to promote is its Safe + Sound warranty package deal, which covers just about every thing for 5 years or 60,000 miles which includes scheduled maintenance and wear-and-tear items like brake pads and wiper blades (sadly, tires aren't covered)!!! It is a powerful good-faith gesture for a business that hasn't always been recognized for your reliability of its products.
So... does the 2011 S60 live up to Volvo's billing as the naughtiest and sportiest Volvo ever? Surely, a number of low-production specials from Gothenburg have seemed to be a little bit zanier (1995's 850 T-5R comes immediately to mind), but they've all had some rather substantial holes in their dynamic résumés. Volvo's new S60 may lack an iota in the handling verve that characterizes some of its chief rivals, but it also strikes us as much more well-rounded offering than most of them. Even though not the sexiest of attributes, 'overwhelming competence' is far from a negative point – it is just tougher to marketplace. As such, we can hardly blame Volvo's 'Naughty' ad team for reaching for your Johnny Bravo jacket, but we hope they move on soon – immediately after all, there's lots here to crow about.
