More news from Goowood Festival of Speed 2012, and this time about Volvo, who’s playing the sensible guy this year by bringing a family hatchback and a hybrid estate. We’re talking about the new Volvo V40 premium hatchback and the V60 D6, the world’s first plug-in diesel hybrid. The latter will be going up the Goodwood hill, probably setting a record for the greenest lap ever.
The hybrid system in the V60 D6 AWD is just amazing. The Hybrid are powered by a five-cylinder 2.4-litre turbo diesel producing 215 hp and maximum torque is 440 Nm on the front axle, and an electric motor producing 70 horsepower on the rear. Together they make 285 hp and over 640 Nm of torque, which means this big estate car can – in Power mode – go from 0 to 62 mph in 6.2 seconds.
The V60 also offers Pure mode for electric driving up to 32 miles, and a Hybrid mode which is the best compromise with decent performance and CO2 emissions of just 49g/km. The range in this mode is 621 miles.
The V40 is also a nice new offering by Volvo. Priced from £19,745, the V40 is a formidable rival for the new Hyundai i30 and Kia Cee’d. With CO2 emissions as low as 94 g/km, the D2 version of the Volvo V40 boasts a combined fuel consumption of 78.5 mpg. Its 1.6-litre diesel engine has 115 hp and 270 Nm of torque and comes with a six-speed manual gearbox and start/stop function. This means V40 drivers will benefit from improved running costs and the lowest vehicle tax bands.
