Geneva 2010: Volvo S60 Revealed

Volvo's future may be tenuous (what with the pending Chinese ownership), but they are still rolling out new products as if the apocalypse wasn't approaching.  The Geneva auto show this year will be home to a lot of big debuts, and among them is a brand-spanking-new Volvo S60, the brand's mid-sized volume offering.  Considering the current S60 has been in production since 2000, it's about time - that's about three lifetimes as far as mid-luxury offerings go.

We've seen some leaked pictures and videos of the S60 here at CarThrottle before, but today brings tons of high-resolution images and details and specifications about the new sedan.  One thing's for sure: this is a brand-new car, not a shallow re-skin of the old P2 chassis.  Perhaps tired of having their cars roundly ignored on the basis of "geez, that thing looks dull," Volvo has gone the opposite direction and styled the new S60 to look like a preying mantis ready to eat something.  The drop-snout nose, alien intake grilles, and pronounced "beltline" make the S60 much more of a dramatic car than it was in years past - a little less restraint is welcome.  And while I'm not a fan of the radioactive-copper color on the display car, I'd imagine this shape will look amazing in black.  Also, check out those Maserati 3200GT-esque boomerang taillights in the back.  Sweet!

So what's different?  Well, the new S60 is larger than the outgoing model in most dimensions.  Overall length is up 1" to 182.2", the wheelbase stretches 2.3" up to 109.3", and the track is 1" and 1.7" wider front and rear, respectively.  Despite the size expansion, the S60 is only about 100lbs heavier than the outgoing model - fairly impressive.

As far as powertrain goes, it's pretty promising.  At launch, the S60 will come standard (at least in the US) with Volvo's excellent 3.0L T6 motor, a single twin-scroll turbocharged inline-six that punches out a meaty 300bhp, but more importantly 325bhp at a super-low 1,500 rpm(!).  That twist reaches the ground through a six-speed automatic transmissions, which sends it to all four wheels via a Haldex four-wheel-drive system.  (Can you say epic brake-torque launch?)  Volvo claims the S60 T6 will hit 60 from a standstill in 6.2 seconds, which is not bad for a Volvo!  (is my personal bias showing too much here?)

Engine choices on the European continent will be a little broader, with a 2.0L DI/Turbo I4 (power not quoted) as well as a modern turbodiesel engine.  Those wishing for an S60 with the correct number of cylinders (that'd be five, thanks) will have to wait for a mid-level model with the S40's 2.5L T5 motor, which currently puts out 227bhp.

As far as the chassis goes, Volvo claims the new S60 is their most dynamic and fun-to-drive car yet.  There will be three different chassis choices available: the cushy base model, the "Dynamic" chassis (which has firmer damping, higher spring rates, thicker anti-roll bars, and firmer bushes), and finally the Four-C continuously adaptive chassis, which first debuted in the 2004 S60R.  Four-C is a three-mode adaptive suspension setup that utilizes the ABS speed sensors, yaw sensors, and lord knows what else to instantly vary damping rates electronically for the perfect ride/handling balance.  It's been great in the past, and one would expect it's even better on the new S60.

The interior is a big step forward.  It looks like a mixture of old S60 and new Audi A4, and the design is distinctly Nordic Minimalist - sort of lux-Ikea if you will.  It's still got the trademark Volvo hollow console, which is a neat design element.  Instrumention is clear and concise, and it's not over-endowed with tons of buttons and switches.  It looks like a relaxing place to spend some time.

As you'd expect, the S60 is packed full of nerdy Volvo-tastic safety features.  Since this is CarThrottle, not CarAirbag, I won't bore you with the details - but suffice to say if you kill yourself in a new S60, you probably deserve it.  There will be a wagon version coming shortly (which makes me wonder if there's really room between the V50 and V70 for a V60, but whatever) as well as two-wheel-drive variants, but that's about all we've heard from Volvo so far.  Still, that sure is a sexy Volvo, isn't it?