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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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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• Volvo S60 has pedestrian tracking (ubergizmo.com)

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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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Volvo XC60 Video Review – Kelley Blue Book – Watch more amazing videos here

FOR PRICING & SPECS ON THIS CAR VISIT:

http://www.kbb.com/KBB/NewCars/Volvo_XC60.aspx

Volvo XC60. Luxury crossover SUVs have been filtering into the market, with some being capable off-roaders and others designed to wrap the driver in luxury. Volvo has entered the segment with its all-new XC60, combining those features with distinctive looks, an eager engine and revolutionary safety features like City Safety – that will literally stop you in your tracks. For more new car reviews, interviews and automotive news visit http://www.kbb.com today.

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2010 Volvo XC60

We generally applaud new technologies in cars, but the 2010 Volvo XC60’s City Safety feature had us wondering if it was taking tech too far. City Safety uses a forward-looking camera to detect obstacles ahead. If it thinks you are about to hit something, it jams on the brakes, hard. Volvo designed City Safety to prevent low speed collisions, so it doesn’t work above 20 mph. We appreciate that it will prevent distracted drivers from rolling into a stopped car ahead, but what happens in a city parking situation when you need to get really close to other cars so you can maneuver into a parallel parking space?

Source: Technosaga

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123auto has a review of the Volvo XC60, here are the highlights:

Volvo happens to be one of those well-established average performing makes that spent some time in the fire-sale isle in Ford’s “makes-for-sale” store. Recently confirmed as part of the China’s growing Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, the Swedish maker is now in a great position to continue developing its product. Don’t think that these takeovers are a bad thing; in most cases, the buyer has sufficient resources to maintain momentum and by the same token, improve on its own line-up with the “buyee’s” technology.

Clear and present design
The newest member of the Volvo family is perhaps the best they have made in the last 15 years. In fact, the XC60 is what you would get, in my mind, if you took every model in Volvo’s portfolio, put them in a blender and voilà!

From any angle, the XC60 is without a doubt a Volvo. Its bulbous and shapely body carries the signature swollen bodylines which start from the purposeful-looking headlights all the way back to the twisted cat-ear taillights. In between, you will find a vehicle that looks bigger than it is; solid and unified.

An underdog
Volvo as a brand is often overlooked. In my opinion, those that choose competing European or Japanese brands such as BMW, Audi or Infiniti, especially if driving dynamics are secondary to comfort, are missing out on some of the most cosseting cars on the road.

The $39,995, the base XC60 faces stiff competition from the likes of the Audi Q5, Infiniti EX35, BMW X3 and Acura RDX. With an as-tested price of $53,445, the XC60 is not the least expensive but it does include all the kit one could ever want, save for the navigation system which is a $2,625 option. A basic T6 carries a price tag of $49,995.

If being different, meaning not driving a BMW or an Audi, does not scare you, the Volvo will surely impress even the most discerning buyer with its high level of quality and creature comforts.

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Our Volvo XC60 is a nice driving companion. Comfy, sturdy, full of entertainment and safety features and easy on the eye. And it’s got motor.

Our 2010 Volvo XC60 is car of the week.

From Inside Line

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When I began reading about some of the safety systems on the new XC60, I figured I was headed for the equivalent of a long Saturday night at the Dallas Public Library.

Have you heard of “City Safety”? It uses a camera to sense when you’re approaching objects too quickly and literally slams on the brakes at speeds up to 9 mph, supposedly preventing you from doing the rumba with someone’s back bumper.

And this is definitely not a polite “put-down-your-latte-Buffy- we-need-to-stop” sort of deal. We’re talking locked brakes quivering in full ABS with people hanging from their seat belts here — an enormously amusing prospect for cellphone drunks. I got subjected to two tests of the system, and it seemed to really — ugh — work.

But the weird thing is that so does most everything else on the XC60, which is easily Volvo’s most stylish vehicle and one of its better-performing cars or crossovers.

Just to help you keep track of the landscape at Volvo, the XC60 is the newest of the automaker’s three crossovers.

At 4,174 pounds, it slots in between the 3,900-pound XC70 — a butched-up station wagon that calls itself a crossover — and the 4,700-pound XC90, Volvo’s most prominent crossover.

My metallic bronze, all-wheel-drive XC60 was loaded — as reflected in its lofty $44,240 sticker price. Equipped with a 281-horsepower, turbocharged, 3-liter six-cylinder and six-speed automatic, this beefy Volvo can sprint to 60 in 6.8 seconds, according to Motor Trend.

Style has never been one of sober, dowdy Volvo’s strengths, but the XC60 is a veritable hipster in a beret — not radically new or youthful, mind you, but certainly interesting.

Read the full story on Dallas Morning News

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VOLVO is well regarded as an automaker of safe cars and crossovers. But this Swedish brand has evolved into a maker of distinctively styled and safe vehicles.
Its latest effort is the compact XC60, a five-passenger crossover that is a step smaller than its XC90 crossover. Inside, the XC60 seems more of a midsize for interior space and cargo capacity.

Volvo also has one of the best controllers for its navigation system. The inputs are made on a small control pad behind the right steering-wheel spoke. There is a small joystick, a “back” button and an “enter” button. The idea is for the driver to not take his hands off the wheel. There is also a remote feature so the passenger can make changes.

Clever engineering and safety features come at a cost of weight and price. And while the XC60 may seem pricey, its “popularly equipped” price is comparable with those of such vehicles as the Acura RDX, Audi Q5 and BMW X3.

Read the full review at Jamaica Observer

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Volvo Car Corporation has announced that they are working on launching two new models in the next 12 months in India.

The company aims to target the growing customer base which goes for the premium luxury cars here in India.

Volvo XC60 sports utility vehicle would be launched in the first half of the year.

Volvo S60 luxury sedan would arrive by the end of the year.

Source: Tech Whack

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