Volvo’s upturn of fortunes in Malaysia is further bolstered today when the Swedish carmaker introduced the all-new Volvo S60. Priced at RM295,888 (OTR without insurance), the fully-imported S60 sedan is only offered in the delightfully sporty T8 R Design trim.
Labeled by Volvo as a ‘true driver’s car’, the S60 certainly has large shoes to fill. Motivation is provided by the T8 Twin Engine hybrid powertrain, managing a combined output of 407 hp and 640 Nm. Drive is transferred to all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission with Geartronic manual shift option.
The Volvo S60 T8 does the century sprint in a rapid 4.4 seconds, onward to a top speed of 250 km/h. Other than the wholly respectable power output, Volvo claims that the S60 is efficient too – with a fuel consumption of just 2 l/100km, despite weighing just over 2 tonnes.
Wearing the R Design badge, the Volvo S60 sports an imposing appearance with several variant-specific trim. On the front, the R Design grille features a black horizontal mesh design and Silk Metal-finished frame, flanked by Volvo’s signature “Thor’s Hammer” LED combination headlights.
The lower front apron features an aggressive bumper design with large cutouts and a unique black outer grille for added road presence.
On the sides, the 19-inch satin-finished alloy wheels highlight the short overhang on both ends. As part of the R Design package, the wing mirrors also get a gloss-black housing.
Moving to the rear, the iconic twin C-shaped taillights give the S60 a more muscular profile. The integrated lip spoiler also provides improved overall aerodynamics and visual appeal for the sport sedan.
Right under the spoiler, the new-style Volvo lettering runs across the top of the tailgate. As part of the R Design line, the S60 also gets a sportier rear bumper with black trim accents and twin exhaust housings.
Stepping inside, the interior of the S60 is both inviting and subtly sporty. The R Design contour seats are upholstered in Charcoal Fine Nappa Leather, while the dashboard and door panel trims are finished in an Open Grid Textile pattern.
The 9-inch, tablet-style touchscreen display of the Volvo Sensus Connect infotainment system dominates the centre of the dashboard, controlling most of the vehicle’s functionalities such as climate control and navigation. The infotainment system is also compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard.
Tucked behind the R Design three-spoke leather steering wheel is the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster display, heads-up display is also standard. Other interior highlights include sports pedal and an electronic gear selector finished in double-stitched leather. Nothing too shouty, but all executed in typical Nordic understated fashion.
Besides sharing the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform which underpins the top-of-the-line 90 series, the Volvo S60 also inherits the safety equipment from its elder siblings, which means it comes with a class-leading list of safety features.
Featuring the IntelliSafe advanced safety suite, the Volvo S60 comes equipped with the City Safety with Autobrake function to avoid and mitigate potential collisions with pedestrians, cyclists and large animals.
The S60 can also apply auto braking to mitigate oncoming collisions, which Volvo says is a world’s first in the mid-size sedan segment. The Pilot Assist radar cruise control system has also been upgraded with improved cornering performance at speeds up to 130 km/h.
As part of the IntelliSafe suite, the S60 also gets Run-off Road Mitigation, Oncoming Lane Mitigation, Lane Keeping Aid, Blind Spot Information System with Steer Assist, Cross Traffic Alert, and Park Assist.
The Volvo S60 will be available in Fusion Red Metallic, Crystal White Pearl, Pebble Grey Metallic, Onyx Black Metallic and Birch Light Metallic.
