In South Africa the Volvo S60 and Volvo XC60 are two of the most popular Volvo models to date and, according to Volvo SA they’re are extremely excited about the much-anticipated, stunning new versions.
The new 60s range will introduce spectacular new features and technology and will raise Volvo’s designed-around-you approach to a whole new level of Scandinavian luxury. The main changes to the new Volvo ‘60s models are:
- New design focusing on quality and attention to detail, with more Scandinavian style than ever before.
- Fuel consumption down to a class-leading 4.0 l/100km and CO2 emissions of just 106 g/km in the Volvo S60
- New, even more comfortable sport seats
- Sensus Connected Touch system with unique on-line possibilities
- Permanent high beam with groundbreaking technology
“This is the most extensive development of existing models in our company’s history. Each of the enhancements is designed around our customers’ needs. We have focused on quality and attention to detail in order to give these dynamic models a major boost and sharpen their competitiveness,” says Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Vice President, Product Strategy & Vehicle Line Management at Volvo Car Group.
He continues: “The S60 and XC60 are our best-selling models in several important markets, and the innovative V60 Plug-in Hybrid has got off to a flying start. We have been listening very carefully to our customers in order to make improvements that ensure that we make these successful cars more attractive.”
Scandinavian design is exemplified by beautiful, simple shapes and surfaces with any unnecessary clutter removed.
This is evident in the redesigned interior and exterior of the new 60 cars. Inside, the attention to detail, the authentic materials – such as wood and leather – and the easy-to-use controls contribute to the in-command driving experience.
Supportive yet comfortable seats that ensure a fresh and relaxed arrival after the longest of journeys have been a Volvo strength for decades. The buyer of a new S60, V60 or XC60 can now specify a new sport seat that retains this traditional comfort and makes a perfect addition to the in-command feel of a true driver’s car.
“The new sport seat has great hugging side support all the way from the thighs to the shoulders, so the seat keeps the driver firmly in position when cornering fast. We’ve had nearly one hundred people of all shapes and sizes test this seat and we received a really enthusiastic response. We’ve also made adjustments to the seat back, so it provides more legroom for passengers in the rear,” says Project Director Patrik Widerstrand.
There are several other examples of the attention to detail in the new 60 cluster cars. The previously visible washer nozzles have been relocated out of sight under the bonnet. The radar cover has been painted gloss black, which practically makes it disappear in the grille. The chrome frame around the grille has been removed and the new, bigger ironmark badge enhances the new cars’ self-confident look.
The new integrated tailpipes, which can be specified with some engine variants, are the physical and visual link to the technically advanced engines. But it’s not just about beautiful design: the designers have had to cope with the fact that at operating temperature, the tailpipes have to remain perfectly in place despite the exhaust system expanding in length by up to 25mm. This is another example of true Scandinavian precision engineering.
The new S60, V60 and XC60 offer an extended wheel choice with a variety of designs that increase the personalisation possibilities for customers.
“To enhance the visual appeal of the car, customers can now specify their S60 or V60 with expressive 19-inch wheels and keep the same profile height as 18-inch ones, so they don’t lose any comfort,” says Patrik Widerstrand.
The XC60 is available with 20-inch wheels while keeping the same tyre profile height and ride comfort as with 19-inch wheels.
The new dynamic S60 design, with its purposeful, dynamic appearance, accentuates the car’s sporting nature.
“We’ve really increased the S60’s road presence with a new front design. The more focused and determined-looking headlamps help create this new, expressive ‘face’. We were thinking of a wolf’s eyes when we designed them,” explains Fedde Talsma, Design Director, Exterior. He adds: “We’ve emphasised the S60’s horizontal lines at both the front and rear. Together with details such as a wider grille, daylight running lights and a new LED light guide on the tail lamps, they give the S60 a striking, squat presence. The car has a beauty that is rooted in the natural world. The clean surfaces and contours give it a very Scandinavian feel.”
Inside, there are upgrades such as new upholstery colours, new wood inlays, a new headliner, and the silk metal frames around the air vents and light controls.
“The overall effect is very warm and cosy, like being in a warm Swedish house on a cold night. The colour themes correspond beautifully with the backlit white controls in the dash and elsewhere in the car,” adds Lena Jiseborn, Design Director, Colour and Trim.
And under the skin, at the heart of the dynamic driving experience, is a wide choice of chassis settings, designed around the customer’s personal requirements. The S60 buyer has a choice of four chassis types – Touring, Dynamic, Four-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept) and Lower Sport Chassis, previously only available on the R-Design version.
The new Volvo V60 is the car for people who need the versatility of a station wagon, but want the handling of a sports sedan – all in a stylish Scandinavian package. As with the new Volvo S60, the design team has increased the new V60’s road presence by emphasising its horizontal lines, which visually connects the car directly to the road. The V60’s silhouette is a visual reminder that this is no ordinary sports wagon – it’s a wagon with a coupé-like appearance.
The V60 delivers a dynamic driving experience, with the same pin-sharp handling as its sister saloon and with the same chassis options and the same levels of customer preference – Touring, Dynamic, Four-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept) and Lower Sport Chassis, previously only available on the R-Design version.
“We’re really proud of the standard Dynamic chassis. It offers a responsive, in-command driving experience and we genuinely believe that it’s one of the best in the segment,” says Patrik Widerstrand.
At the heart of the extra versatility of the V60 is its intelligent seating. The rear seats can be folded down in three 40/20/40 segments, so that the rear 430 litres of load space can be supplemented quickly and easily. Parents favour the V60’s two-stage integrated booster cushions for children. With one simple movement, the booster cushions pop-up from the seat base giving a comfortable and safe ride height for children from three years and upwards.
On the exterior, Volvo’s best-selling model, the XC60, gets a more urban twist. The redesigned front features a new hood shape that emphasises the wide, confident look.
“We’ve taken away any black trim so the car is now all one body colour. The new headlamps look very focused and determined, and the horizontal lines on the grille with its chrome bars emphasise the car’s width,” says Fedde Talsma.
The XC60 also benefits from an interior upgrade. The new features include new wood inlays, a new headliner, textile B-pillars and the silk metal frames around the air vents and light controls.
The refined XC60 has a commanding driving position supported by generous ground clearance and the class-leading chassis. The XC60 is designed to feel every bit as nimble and agile as a standard height road car.
Corner Traction Control now comes as standard. This torque vectoring system helps the driver avoid understeer by applying just the right amount of brake force to the inner wheels while powering the outer wheels when accelerating out of a corner.
With All Wheel Drive, the XC60 becomes an extremely capable vehicle on any road, in any kind of weather. The optional Hill Descent Control boosts this capability by automatically controlling the car’s speed when driving down steep slopes.
Sensus is the name Volvo uses for all its HMI (Human Machine Interface) functionality and the all-new Sensus Connected Touch is the latest addition.
It enables connectivity and Internet in the car and turns the 7-inch display into a state-of-the-art infrared, beam-scanned touch screen that can be used even when wearing gloves – a world first in cars and handy in winter!
Connection is made either via a car-mounted 3G/4G dongle or the driver’s mobile phone.
The user has access to full Internet browsing (except when driving), Internet streaming of music, Internet radio (TuneIn and Orange Live Radio) with thousands of channels from all over the world, on-line (Google) Map and Search, Embedded Connected 3D navigation with online traffic info and dangerous zone warnings, Free Parking locator, weather information, a number of native and web applications, App Store for new functions and updates as well as a Volvo service locator.
It is also possible to share a WiFi network with everyone in the car.
“You can find the track you want just by saying its name. The voice-activated system works on all music sources connected to the Sensus Connected Touch,” explains Patrik Widerstrand. “TripInfo is another great feature that can read out Wikipedia information about interesting points along the route via the audio system.”
The Adaptive Digital Display, which debuted in the all-new V40, is now available in the new S60, V60 and XC60. This active TFT (Thin Film Transistor) crystal display takes the interaction between car and driver to a new dimension, always displaying the most important information in any given situation.
Volvo Car Group continues to push the boundaries of fuel efficiency and CO2 actions across the model and engine range.
The fuel consumption of the 84kW, four-cylinder D2 diesel in the new Volvo S60 with a manual gearbox has been improved to a class-leading 4.0 l/100 km (EU Combined, preliminary figures), translating into CO2 emissions of only 106 g/km. The corresponding figures with the automatic gearbox are 4.1 l/100 km and 107 g/km (preliminary figures).
Its estate cousin, the new Volvo V60 D2, also has class-leading fuel consumption at 4.1 l/100 km (109 g/km) with the manual and 4.2 l/100 km (110 g/km) with the automatic gearbox (preliminary figures).
The automatic D3 and D4 versions of the new Volvo S60 and V60 now come with CO2 emissions of 129 g/km (4.9 l/100 km).
The new Volvo XC60 has also been improved, with both the D5 and the D4 versions with a manual gearbox and All Wheel Drive, delivering a combined fuel consumption of 5.3 l/100 km (139 g/km).
There are improvements with petrol power too, with the S60 with the 1.6-litre GTDi (Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection) engine T4 (132kW) or T3 (110kW) and automatic gearbox now offering fuel consumption at 6.8 l/100 km (159 g/km). The corresponding figure for the V60 T4 and T3 is 7.2 l/100 km (167 g/km).
“As the leader in automotive safety, we have reduced the risk of being involved in an accident or being injured in one of our latest car models by abound 50 per cent since the year 2000. By continuously introducing new preventive and protective systems, we keep moving towards our safety vision that nobody should die or suffer serious injuries in a new Volvo car by the year 2020,” says Thomas Broberg, Senior Safety Advisor at Volvo Car Group.
The European launch takes place during July and August this year, and as always will receive vehicles about three months later. Therefore, we expect our local vehicles to arrive in late Quarter 4 this year.
Local specification and pricing will be announced closer to the time.
