By the hammer of Thor, Volvo Car Corporation have introduced the all-new second-generation XC60 at the Geneva Motor Show, bringing in new-age design language and the now familiar line-up of powertrains.
At first glance, the XC60 looks akin to the larger XC90, with everything from the Thor’s Hammer LED headlamps and the new-style grille making an appearance on what seems to be a smaller, five-seat version of the XC90. The rear-end restyle looks more in line with the new V90 Cross Country, while retaining a familiar family resemblance. The XC60 packs in some serious innovation, more advanced than what we’ve come to see thus far from the Swedish major.
Part of the new tech is a more receptive IntelliSafe City Safety suite that incorporates Steer Assist, Blind-spot Information System (BLIS) that also uses Steer Assist to avoid a potential collision, Oncoming Lane Mitigation traffic detection, large animal detection, pedestrian detection as well as a smarter adaptive cruise control that now works between 5 km/h and 240 km/h. The XC60 inherits the huge touchscreen centre console and stylised elements in the interior, highlighting both the essence of Scandinavian luxury and ease of use. The sculpted seats now incorporate the Run-off-road Protection, which is a useful feature considering the all-road and even no-road abilities of the XC60. Pilot Assist autonomous driving is also available as an option, capable of driving on well-marked roads at speeds of up to 130 km/h.
Further additions to the new XC60 include an updated CleanZone four-zone climate control system, Sensus driver interface, as well as enhanced smartphone connectivity using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.
The new XC60 is built on Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) which means it gets some very familiar powertrains, three petrol (of which one is a plug-in hybrid) and two diesel engines, all of which are 1,969-cc four-cylinder, direct injection units with forced induction. The line-up begins with the 254-PS/320-Nm T5 petrol. The T6 is next with turbo-supercharged plumbing and 320 PS and 400 Nm. At the top is the T8 Twin Engine with the T6 engine and a 65-kW (87 PS) electric motor working to deliver 407 PS and 640 Nm of peak torque, with a 0-100 km/h capability of 5.3 seconds (in Power mode) and more or less 50 km/l (in Hybrid mode). The car pictures here is the T8 Twin Engine in it’s top-spec ‘Inscription’ trim level.
The diesels are two: a solo-turbo D4 with 190 PS and 400 Nm, and a twin-turbo PowerPulsed D5 with 235 PS and 480 Nm. The eight-speed transmission is now standard and drives all four wheels in all except the T8 Twin Engine, which is also four-wheel-drive but split with a petrol-driven front and electric-driven rear.
The XC60 will go into production in April at Volvo’s Torslanda plant near Gothenburg in Sweden. Expect to see the new XC60 arrive in India later this year with a choice of powertrain options to suit every application.
Story: Jim Gorde
The new Volvo XC60 – Body structure (with text)
