LITTLE BROTHER
The Swedish junior executive sedan takes aim at Germany’s finest as Volvo ditches diesel power for the first time.
Volvo’s third-generation S60 junior executive sedan looks like a truncated S90.
looks like a truncated S90 …
That’s because it is. The third generation of the Volvo S60 has just been unveiled in the US and sits beneath the S90 to rival the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Lexus IS and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Like the S90, Volvo’s junior executive sedan is built on the SPA platform but with slightly shorter dimensions. Even so, the S60’s wheelbase length of 2,872mm is nearly 100mm longer than the preceding model’s.
Volvo says the latest S60 is a better car to drive than before and promises driving dynamics matching its intended competition. The S60 is either front- or all-wheel drive.
I bet it’s got that T8 performance hybrid …
Yes, it does. Atop the range of the S60 is the T8, which combines that familiar turbo and supercharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a plug- in hybrid. With four driven wheels and 400hp of power, the T8 goes from 0 to 100kph in less than five seconds.
Next up is the T6, producing a lesser 340hp, while the conventional petrol head is the 250hp T5. All engine variants are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The S60 is the first Volvo to ditch diesel power, as the Swedes have already announced their intentions of eventually switching to electrified petrol engines and pure electric propulsion.
Can it drive by itself?
No, it can’t. But Volvo is boasting of some driver-assist technologies that are said to be superior to the competition.
The automatic braking system at city speeds, for one, has been upgraded to detect a wider variety of obstacles on the road and mitigate oncoming collisions.
The so- called Pilot Assist, which can support the driver with steering, acceleration and braking on marked roads, is also claimed to have improved cornering performance.
As with other Volvos currently on sale in Thailand, the S60 will highlight a raft of standard features when sales start early next year. Pictured here is the sporty R-Design model matching Audi’s S- Line, BMW’s M Sport, Lexus’s F Sport and Mercedes-Benz’s AMG Dynamic trims.
Expect the plug-in hybrid models to take centre stage, as the BMW 330e and Mercedes-Benz C350e have taken advantage of low excise taxation in the country to yield prices between 2.5 million and 3 million baht.