Volvo S60 T8 R-Design now assembled in Malaysia – same RM296K price tag



Volvo Car Malaysia (VCM) today launched the locally-assembled Volvo S60 T8, which made its local debut October last year as a fully-imported unit. Similar to the CBU model, the locally-assembled S60 T8 will be available solely in the R-Design trim, along with an identical price tag – RM295,888 (OTR w/o insurance).

The powertrain of the Volvo S60 T8 also remains unchanged, which means the Swedish sports sedan is still the most horsepower you can buy for the money. Under the hood sits the T8 Twin Engine powertrain – a 2.0-litre supercharged and turbocharged engine, paired to an electric motor at the rear axle for a combined output of 407 hp and 640 Nm of twist.

The hybrid mill is paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission with Geartronic manual shift option, for a century sprint time of just 4.4 seconds, onward to a top speed of 250 km/h – no 180 km/h electronically-limited top speed on first batch of the locally-assembled S60s, but later ones will be subjected to the new global Volvo directive.

Despite weighing over two tonnes, Volvo claims a frugal 2.0 l/100km fuel consumption figure for the S60 T8, thanks to the hybrid Twin Engine powertrain.

As part of the R-Design trim, the locally-assembled Volvo S60 T8 comes equipped with a variant-specific black horizontal mesh design on the front grille with a Silk Metal-finished frame, along with an aggressively-styled front bumper featuring what Volvo calls a “black outer grille” for added road presence.

At the rear, the S60 T8 R-Design gets a sportier bumper design, featuring black trim accents and chrome-tipped twin exhaust outlets. As part of the R-Design package, the wing mirror housings are finished in black. The locally-assembled S60 rides on 19-inch satin-finished alloy wheels as standard – identical to that of the previous imported units.

Inside, the locally-assembled S60 T8 R-Design still gets the same understated cabin design, featuring the 9-inch tablet-style Volvo Sensus Connect infotainment display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

R-Design touches in the interior include the R-Design three-spoke leather steering wheel, R-Design contour seats upholstered in Black Charcoal Leather with Open Grid Textile, and sports pedal.

The locally-assembled S60 loses the split-folding rear seats, though the centre pass-through hole is still available. Other minor equipment changes include the removal of the 12V sockets in the boot, along with the boot netting.

In terms of safety, the locally-assembled S60 T8 R-Design comes equipped with the full suite of Volvo’s Intellisafe advanced driver assistance suite, including City Safety with Autobrake function, Pilot Assist radar cruise control system with Lane Keeping Aid, Blind Spot Information System with Steer Assist, Cross Traffic Alert.

For the new CKD model, VCM has also included the Park Assist Pilot function as standard, with support for both parallel and perpendicular parking. The feature was previously unavailable in the fully-imported unit.

The locally-assembled Volvo S60 T8 R-Design is available in four exterior colours – Fusion Red Metallic, Crystal White Pearl, Pebble Grey Metallic, and Onyx Black Metallic. The previously available Birch Metallic exterior hue has been removed in the locally-assembled variant.

The S60 T8 R-Design comes as standard with a five-year warranty, and is now available for viewing at all authorised Volvo dealerships nationwide. Additionally, the locally S60 T8 will also be available for booking on the Volvo Car Malaysia website, for those more accustomed to the new social distancing measures.


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