Malaysians can now attain Volvo’s most dynamic model yet, the S60, that lays claim to impressive sporty aspirations whilst still maintaining the utmost safety aspects that is synonymous with the brand. Dubbed the marque’s naughtiest car, the S60 is one sexy Swedish brick, with more curves, power and safety features that pave the path for the brand’s future.
The S60 will be available locally in two variants, both fully imported. An entry level 2-liter T5 will be joined by the flagship 3-liter T6 featuring all-wheel drive.
“The new S60 is pure driving pleasure, with a sporty, extrovert design that delivers enthusiastic driving characteristics It more than lives up to its promise as Volvo’s most dynamic car ever, which is something that becomes very apparent the naughtier you are behind the wheel,” said Goran Larsson, President of Volvo Car Malaysia.
The T6 variant will come equipped with self-adjusting Four-C chassis with three settings, Comfort for cruising, Sport for enthusiastic driving and Advance for boosted driving dynamics. The T5 on the other hand gets the Dynamic chassis as standard. Nonetheless, both variants lay claim to improved steering, stiffer springs and bushes as well as more damping than any other previous model.
Apart from the Pedestrian Detection, the S60 also comes with Advanced Stability Control, an anti-skid feature that identifies skidding tendencies at an early stage, allowing for improved handling and quick reactions.
Torque Vectoring is another feature on the S60 and it allows for smoother cornering. During cornering, the inner wheel is braked lightly simultaneously with more transmitted to the outer wheel to reduce understeer.
Exterior wise, the S60 is by far the sleekest Volvo yet, mirroring a four-door coupe silhouette with its C-pillar that stretches all the way to the tail lamps. The receding roofline and appearance of a lower front end give it the impression that it’s about to pounce. Furthermore, the sculpted hood and fenders lend it a muscular look as well.
Motivation comes in the form of some powerful mills, led by the straight-six 3-liter turbocharged plant in the T6. Power stands at a mighty 304hp with no less than 440Nm of torque from the lower-internal friction engine. Mated to the Instant traction AWD via Volvo’s six-speed Geartronic automatic gearbox, the S60 T6 is capable of performing the century sprint in 6.1-seconds.
The T5 is no slouch either with its four-cylinder, 2-liter turbocharged engine pushing out 240hp coupled with 320Nm of torque for a century sprint in 7.5-seconds. All that power goes to the front wheels through the twin-clutch, six-speed Powershift transmission for some lightning quick gear swaps.
The hallmark feature of the S60 has to be the Pedestrian Detection with full auto braking. A world first, the system detects pedestrians that walk onto the road in front of the car and warns the driver, with full automatic braking applied if the driver does not respond in time. It can detect pedestrians and bring the S60 to a complete stop for speeds up to 35km/h. Nonetheless, the system is not capable of detecting objects under 80cm in height, making pooches and other pets ineligible for the S60 to stop on its own for them.
Demonstration runs were organised during the launch, albeit with Bob the inflatable dummy taking one for the team. The system worked perfectly on all occasions, coming to a complete stop before the dummy.
Being a Volvo, the Pedestrian Detection is the main safety feature but not the only. City Safety is another feature similar to Pedestrian Detection but focuses on the vehicle ahead. The system will automatically brake the car if the driver does not slow down in time when the vehicle ahead slows down, stops or the S60 is being driven towards a stationery object. It lessens and can even entirely avoid low-speed rear-end collisions up to 30km/h.
Driver Alert Control can detect and alert tired or distracted drivers, Lane Departure Warning alerts the driver if car runs across lane markers without the turn indicators on, Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist is a feature using radar-based adaptive cruise control system which automatically maintains a set gap to the vehicle in front. This comfort-enhancing system operates at speeds of up to 200km/h, which basically means the car drives itself while in queues with repeated speeding up or slowing down, including speeds below 30km/h, making it the perfect feature to traverse snail-paced traffic jams.
On the inside, the sporty theme is carried on as well. Headed by the new infotainment system, the Volvo Sensus, it houses the audio entertainment, navigation and other vehicular functions on a seven-inch colour screen fitted on the center console with steering-mounted controls.
In conjunction with the launch of the S60, huge discounts are being offered for the accessories package during the promotional period until 15 May. Multimedia players on the front headrests for the rear passengers will go for RM6,028 (RM8,070). The front skid plate and bumper garnish will be RM855 (RM1,397), rear skid plate and bumper garnish will cost RM1,654 (RM2,600), deco frame for the front bumper will be RM711 (RM1,129), side scuff plate costs RM1,829 (RM2,989), sports pedals will go for RM543 (RM838), spoiler and boot lid will be RM1,254 (RM2,061), front blind view camera goes for RM1,758 (RM2,789), rectangular tail pipes costs RM924 (RM1,510), rear park assist camera retails for RM1,929 (RM2,974) and the navigation system will be RM6,053 (RM9,482).
Pricing for the S60 stands at RM348,000 for the T6 while the lower-spec T5 will set you back by RM288,000 (both prices OTR w/o insurance).
For more information on the naughty S60, drop by your nearest Volvo dealer or log onto www.volvocars.com.my.
