Volvo’s new XC60 is the latest addition to the increasingly popular crossover market segment. And Volvo Car Ireland tells us that it is better value than ever.

With an entry level price of €44,267 ex-works, the DRIVe XC60 S 2.4D manual variant boasts CO2 emissions of 159g/km. And it slots in to Band D tax, which adds up to an appealing package. It also offers best-in-class fuel consumption.

The XC60 is a really nice car. And thankfully Volvo has retained the sporty driving properties that are a central part of this car’s attraction. More horsepower, higher torque and a sporty chassis setting all help give this version the right XC60 dynamics.

In addition to front-wheel drive, a number of minor improvements all help deliver the new model’s competitive fuel consumption and CO2 figures.

The gear ratios have been optimised so the car can be driven economically. For instance, when driving at 100km/h in top gear, engine revs and thus also fuel consumption are lower with the new powertrain. But the beauty of it is, you get all these improvements without compromising on driving pleasure.

The XC60 is not all about economy and ‘eco’ pluses. For instance, it achieved five stars in recent Euro NCAP crash tests, while in the appeal stakes it looks fantastic.

To demonstrate the wide appeal that this car has, the XC60 took first prize in the “Family Car of the Year” category in the first-ever Women’s World Car of the Year competition.

Read the full review on Advertiser

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The largest automotive organisation in world, German ADAC, has carried out an extensive comparison test of different automatic speed and distance control systems.
Volvo XC60 clearly won the test in which six different models were compared.
“ADAC has carried out a total judgment which included the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) as well as the Distance Alert and City Safety. As far as I know this is the first time a test evaluates the total effect of those safety enhancing functions,” says Jonas Ekmark, Active Safety Hub Leader at Volvo Cars.
The exceptional position of City Safety is underlined by the fact that this system is not only unique in the whole world, but it is also in mass production in the current Volvo XC60.

Source: Fleet Directory

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The Financial Times has a review of the XC60 R-Design. Here are the highlights:

Of similar size to Ford’s Kuga and the new BMW X1, it embodies the difficult metamorphosis through which Volvo is putting itself in order to redefine its relationship with the motoring world once outside the protective ownership of Ford. The buzz-word at Volvo is no longer “safe” but “sporty’’; almost obsessively so. The R-Design (pronounced reedesign) label is not so much a name-tag for the latest XC60 as a concept for a new Volvo persona.

In the XC60 it manifests itself in a number of exterior cosmetic changes, including paintwork, body mouldings and side and rear scuff plates, which combine to give the car a significantly more extrovert personality. The same goes for the inside: there are new body-hugging sports seats for brisker cornering; brushed aluminium for all door, steering wheel and centre console inserts; aluminium sports pedals and various other sporting tweaks.

The XC60 comes with a choice of two diesel engines and one petrol. The most powerful diesel is positively sports car-like, its 200bhp and 310lb ft of torque providing standstill to 62mph in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 130mph. That’s with the standard six-speed gearbox; the automatic version is marginally slower. The entry-level diesel has 170bhp and the 2.4 litre petrol unit a mighty 285bhp, although with almost twice the fuel consumption of the 40mpg-plus diesels and with only an automatic gearbox available.

With prices ranging from £30,000 to about £37,000 ($47,100 to $58,100), the R-Design XC60 does not come cheap. But all versions do come well equipped. Climate and cruise control are standard, as is Volvo’s unique City Safety crash-avoidance system, which keeps safe distances from the vehicle in front during stop-start urban traffic. There is also a useful side mirror blind-spot warning system. Higher specification models come with all the usual toys, among them satellite navigation, electrically adjustable seats and leather seats and trim.

The XC60 is just one of a rash of updated and new models currently being brought on stream by Volvo, with its smallest C30, now “Sports Coupé”, model receiving the external go-faster cosmetics along with sharpened steering and chassis. The same applies to Volvo’s C70 metal-roofed coupé/convertible, while an all-new S60 model being launched later this year will also have sporting credentials.

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XC-60 videos

For 2010, Volvo added the R-Design package to its XC60. It’s intended to give the crossover sportier driving dynamics and looks. This newest edition of the 2010 Volvo XC60 starts at $42,400.
A standard Volvo XC60 T6 starts at just over $39,000. This includes the top-of-the-line 281-hp turbocharged six-cylinder engine, leather interior, 18-inch wheels, numerous airbags (this is a Volvo), Bluetooth, and all-wheel-drive.
For a total of $3900 more, buyers can opt for the XC60 R-Design. It includes all of the XC60 T6 standard equipment, and adds a stiffer chassis with a revised suspension, unique 20-inch five-spoke wheels, color matched body trim, sports seats, and a unique “metallic-themed” interior. All of these changes are meant to give the XC60 a sportier, yet more refined driving experience.

Source: Distro Car

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In-car entertainment turned it up another wireless notch at last week’s Chicago Auto Show when Volvo showed off “the industry’s first Internet connected Rear Seat Entertainment System with Windows XP, WiFi and a 500G hard drive.”

Officially, it remains a test-bed study for the moment, but the idea is that you can do everything on a rear headrest touchscreen that you can do on your home computer. You can also plug your computer into the car and load the XC70’s system with your own music and video to keep things quiet in the back row. While it’s officially only in the ‘conceptual phase,’ we have it on very good authority that the system will be available in 2011 Volvo XC60 and XC70 models beginning this summer.

Source: Car MK

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The 2009 Volvo XC60, Volvo’s smallest SUV, has the most comprehensive safety features in company history. Cameras, radar and microchips work to prevent accidents before they happen.

Source: Auto Race Parts

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The all-new Volvo S60 is less premium saloon, more four-door coupe – and promises to be the most exciting Volvo yet.

Some might suggest that isn’t saying much, but Volvo really is placing an emphasis on the new S60’s driving prowess. The new Dynamic chassis will provide 10% faster steering input and much stiffer suspension.

Volvo’s existing Four-C active chassis system, which uses sensors to continually monitor the car and adjust the damping accordingly, will be available as an option on all new S60 variants. This gives a choice of Comfort, Sport and Advanced settings.

In common with the latest trend for executive transport, the all-new Volvo S60 is billed as a four-door coupé, rather than a traditional saloon.

It is certainly very swoopy, with flowing curves that Volvo refers to as ‘racetrack design’. LED lights feature front and rear, along with prominent contrast colour skid plates.

On the inside the sporty theme continues with instruments angled towards the driver, although this doesn’t come at the cost of passenger comfort. The S60 is still a full five-seater with an extra 30mm of rear knee space compared with the outgoing model.

There are plenty of storage options, the rear bench splits 40/60 and the boot opening is 100mm wider than before. The new electronic climate control includes an air quality system and a function that starts venting excess heat from the car as soon as the doors are unlocked.

All the usual premium refinements are available, including a high-tech infotainment centre, stereo upgrade option, parking cameras and adaptive cruise control.

Read the full review on Which

Volvo says it has tested the ride quality in the UK, and that buyers should expect an impressive degree of suppleness whichever mode they select.

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304 horsepower generated by a turbocharged 3.0L six-cylinder isn’t such a bad standard output for the 2011 Volvo S60. Of course, Volvo wants to sell 90,000 S60s per year around the world. A huge chunk of those sales will come from the 2.4L turbodiesel or the 2.0L turbodiesel, neither of which will find their way into Geely’s Volvo’s North American showrooms.

Long gone are the days when Volvo’s were purchased purely for safety and solidity. Style is a major consideration for buyers of Swedish products – Volvo, IKEA, and the Sedin twins not excluded. The previous generation Volvo S60 hung around for a decade. Forgetful people that we are, the consumers’ collective beholding eye no longer sees the visual appeal of the P2-based S60 of 2000. Think back to your first sighting, however, and you’ll remember how shocked you were that Volvo, the box builder, designed a car with such strong shoulders and so pugnacious a rear end.

The glamour of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class doesn’t match up well with the new S60. BMW’s otherwise excellent 3-Series doesn’t utilize simplistic design any longer, certainly not in sedan form. The Infiniti G will come across large in the S60′s presence. Inside the Audi A4, a potential Volvo S60 customer will find life dark and dour. Is this all to mean the 2011 Volvo S60 is better than the Marketplace’s best-selling alternatives?

Read the full review on Good Car Bad Car

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Volvo’s sporty take on its XC60 SUV comes with two turbodiesel engine choices or the 282bhp petrol-fuelled 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine used in the T6. The T6 only comes with a five-speed Geartronic automatic gearbox, while the diesels use six-speed manual gearboxes as standard, with the option of an auto at extra cost. For the R-Design, the D5 engine has 202bhp to drive all four wheels, just like the T6 model, while the 172bhp 2.4D DRIVe model only sends power to the front wheels. Because of the lighter weight of the DRIVe model without the four-wheel drive mechanics of its sister models, it feels just as quick in a straight line. However, the front-drive DRIVe model does suffer from a fair amount of power travelling through just two wheels and the steering wheel can writhe in the driver’s hands on anything but a perfectly smooth road. We also find the XC60 diesel models are better suited to the manual gearbox as they feel more lively and fun to drive.

The XC60 R-Design comes in standard and SE trims, both of which provide a plethora of standard equipment to feel every inch the luxury SUV. With strong residual values, competitive pricing and Volvo’s quality to back them up, the only thing that prevents this Volvo scoring a full five-star rating is that there’s not a more frugal engine option. Even the 2.4D DRIVe model with its 47.1mpg and 159g/km carbon dioxide emissions is good rather than great, and you have to sacrifice four-wheel drive to achieve these figures.

Read the full review at Road Test Reports

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