Based on the new S60 sedan, Volvo is introducing the new V60 Sport Wagon. With the S60 being the most dynamic Volvo ever built, the V60 must be the most dynamic estate car they’ve ever built! And it is actually, because it’s basically a S60 with some extra space at the back for you dog.
Volvo has a good reputation is making practical family cars, but with this one they apparently decided to compromise a bit on functionality and focus on design.
“From the design viewpoint the focus was on making the car as close to a coupe as possible, while retaining that handy extra space at the rear. Our sports wagon does not aim to compete with the traditional estate car. For the customer who wants a lot of load space, there is our V70 or XC70,” says Arjan Sterner, head of exterior design for the new Volvo V60.
So they wanted it to look more like a coupe than a wagon. But what’s the point? It’s not fooling anyone into believing that it’s coupe and not an estate, is it! That curvatious roof might look good, but it also means the luggage compartment is smaller than the usual box-shaped Volvo estates. After all, it’s a sporty wagon. If it was a supersport wagon, it’d probably have no space at all!
This new Volvo gets 40/20/40-split rear seat and the fold-flat front passenger seat. It also has a 1095 millimetre wide tailgate, with standard load capacity of 430 litre. The car gets an all-new Infotainment system where information is presented on a five-inch or seven-inch colour screen in the instrument panel. It also has upgraded audio system.
Volvo’s new sports wagon is available with a choice of two chassis. On the European market the newly developed dynamic chassis is standard, while some other markets will have the touring chassis as standard with the dynamic variant available as an option. The difference between the two chassis alternatives is to be found in the dampers and the front and rear subframes. Here the touring variant has a somewhat softer setting to give a smooth ride on poorer road surfaces.
Furthremore, you can order Volvo’s FOUR-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept) active chassis, which has been modified and refined for better control and comfort compared with previous Volvos. The other option is AWD system, which comes as standard with the T6, but you have to pay an extra fee to get it on other models.
Volvo V60 is also the first sports wagon with Advanced Stability Control with a new roll angle sensor, Corner Traction Control, Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) systems! What does Volvo think people are going to do with this car? Race in touring car championships?!
As for the engines, the new Volvo V60 will be available with a variety of diesel and petrol engines spanning the range from an economical 115 horsepower DRIVe version to an eager high-performance turbocharged version producing 304 horsepower. the 304 hp version is the new T6 3.0 litre turbo which also has 440 Nm of torque. Acceleration from 0-100 km/h takes 6.6 seconds and top speed is limited to 250 km/h.
You may also choose the new four-cylinder 2.0T GTDi with 203 bhp and 300 Nm of torque, while a 240 bhp and 320 Nm of torque version of it will become available later. There’s also a 1.6-litre GTDi engine with either 150 or 180 hp. There’s also two economical diesel options including the 205 horsepower and 420 Nm of torque D5, and the 1.6 liter DRIVe version with 115 bhp and 270 Nm of torque.
