Volvo’s all-new S60 is about to break cover on March 2 at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, and the good news is that it is within a hair’s breadth of being a duplicate of the stunningly beautiful concept model that wowed the North American International Auto Show of a couple of years ago.
It continues Volvo’s trend of introducing new cars with designs that have clearly been influenced by Scandinavian sensibilities in terms of shapes, colors, design elements and the textures of materials that are used.
Yet, at the same time, Volvos all have certain styling elements, which immediately confirm that they are indeed, Volvos— a good thing these days since success in today’s auto market depends heavily on maintaining a sense of heritage, tradition, and strong identity.
Of course, being a Volvo, there is a heavy emphasis on safety, so none of us should be surprised that it has what the company is calling a “groundbreaking safety feature” called Pedestrian Detection. More on that later.
“The sporty design delivers a visual promise of enthusiastic driving characteristics and I can assure you that the all-new S60 truly lives up to that promise. Its driving properties are better than those of any previous Volvo. What is more, the car’s innovative new technologies help you become both a better and a safer driver,” says Volvo Cars President and CEO Stephen Odell.
With the all-new Volvo S60, Volvo Cars is advancing its position in one of the car world’s most competitive segments: CD Premium.
“The competition is razor-sharp and the customers know exactly what they want. The emphasis is on emotional stance, sporty design and dynamic driving properties. Success in this segment means a lot for the brand’s image and we are convinced that the all-new S60 will be one of the strongest contenders,” Mr. Odell added.
Volvo once more has Design Director Peter Horbury at the helm; Peter’s worked at the company before and is more than familiar with the elements of successful Volvo design. And as you’d expect, he’s pretty proud of the new model.
“The S60 has been sculpted to move you. Every single line in its design is there to transport you both physically and emotionally. Its profile radiates so much coupe feeling that the rear doors come as something of a pleasant surprise when you examine the car close-up,” Mr. Horbury said.
The company’s news release says, “Virtually all the lines were penned to carve out the dynamic profile. The C-pillar of the all-new S60 stretches sensually all the way to the tail lamps – and the slim coupe-like roof line is accompanied by a new contour on the shoulders on either side of the lower body, creating a gentle yet powerful double wave from the headlamps at the front to the tail lamps at the rear.
The dip in the middle of the double wave visually pushes the car down. This enhances the stance and makes the car look sleeker and lower. The sculpted bonnet and the short overhangs front and rear also emphasize the sports car feel.”
Apparently, you’ll be able to get your S60 with either a “comfort” platform or a “sport” version, with the difference between the two being the dampers and the subframes.
The new S60 also will be the first sedan with something Volvo calls Advance Stability Control, designed to identify potential skidding much earlier than other systems. The system allows the car’s stability and traction controls to activate more quickly.
Now about that Pedestrian Detection system. It detects walkers who venture into the street in front of the car, and it warns the driver, automatically applying the brakes completely if the driver doesn’t respond in time.
In terms of engines, the new S60 will come with a 203 horsepower, turbocharged 2.0 liter engine, or, if you get the speedy T6 version, you’ll have a 3.0 liter, six cylinder 304 horsepower power plant instead.
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