The new Volvo S60 delivers a powerful ride without compromising safety or efficiency. It’s powered by a new turbocharged engine that delivers fast acceleration and a smooth ride, yet it is exceptionally fuel efficient.
The S60 underwent significant styling revisions last year, so there is little change this year.
The front was redesigned last year and given new exterior panels from the A-pillars forward, including a new hood, front fenders and fascia. A wider grille with a larger Ironmark is flanked by new headlights, while a larger, wider and lower front intake and horizontally mounted LED daytime running lights. At the rear, new LED light guides on the taillights and integrated exhaust pipes add to a more powerful road presence.
For 2015, Volvo has introduced its new Drive-E powertrain technology — an allnew engine family and transmission — that delivers better fuel economy, reduced emissions and better handling. Two versions of the Drive-E 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine are available on front-wheel-drive S60 models. The new S60 T5 uses a turbocharger and direct-injection to develop 240 hp and 258 pounds-feet of torque, with mpg ratings of 25 city, 37 highway and 29 combined. The next level T6 has both a turbocharger and a supercharger that jacks up the power to 302 hp and 295 pounds-feet of torque, with mpg ratings of 24/35/28. The mechanically linked supercharger starts to function immediately at low revs and the turbocharger kicks in when the airflow builds.
An all-new eight-speed “Geartronic” automatic transmission adds to the increased efficiency. It’s quiet, shifts smoothly and reduces noise at higher speeds, and the additional gears allow the engines to operate at peak efficiency and optimal performance. Also new is the start/stop feature that automatically shuts off the engine when the car comes to a stop. The engine almost seamlessly restarts when the driver releases the brake pedal.
The third component of Drive-E is new ECO+ fuel-saving technology designed to optimize shift points, engine control and throttle response. When activated by the driver, ECO+ can improve fuel economy by five percent, depending on driving style, temperature and climate. ECO+ functions include:
• Start/Stop – The start/stop functionality is modified to allow the engine to shut down at four mph as the car coasts to a stop.
• ECO-coast – Helps conserve kinetic energy by enabling the vehicle to coast. The engine “brake” is disengaged and engine speed drops to idle speed when pressure on the accelerator is released.
• ECO-climate – The air conditioning compressor is disconnected to reduce auxiliary loads.
Pressing the AC button restarts cooling or the driver can deactivate ECO+. With 11 models offered in the 2015 S60 lineup, pricing ranges from $33,300 for the base T5 Drive-E to $45,700 for the T6 AWD R-Design Platinum.
Grant Miller is the publisher of Community Newspapers. He may be contacted by calling 305-662-2277 or by addressing email to Grant@CommunityNewspapers.com.
