ΗVolvo, we have said and will say, passes thethe most golden period of its history. After the XC90 and the S90, it presents thenew XC60, rocking the boat in the category and, boasting that "is probably the safest car ever built". The long-awaited SUV of the Swedish brandexpected in July in our country and thePrices will be announced innext fortnight. So what's so special about this Volvo?
The XC60, the top-selling premium mid-size SUV in Europe, with almost one million units sold worldwide, represents almost the 30% of total sales Volvo around the world. It is no coincidence that the Swedish company has put all its weight behind its development and the boss of Volvo Cars, Håkan Samuelsson is proud of the result:
"We have a very strong tradition of designing beautiful and dynamic SUVs that also offer the latest technology. The New XC60 is no exception. It's a perfect car for today's active lifestyle and is the next step in the brand's growth strategy."
Which new technologies so does it incorporate the XC60 on it? As far as the comfort and safety, three are the new technologies that we find in its basic equipment. What they have in common is active power steering. The three new safety systems are designed to provide automatic power steering and enable the driver to have even better control of the car in order to avoid possible imminent collisions.
The director of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre, Malin Ekholm, explains that these systems, "are clear steps on our way to fully autonomous cars. The New XC60 benefits from all the safety technology we've launched in the 90 Series, for example the diversion avoidance technology from the road and technology to avoid collisions at an intersection with oncoming cars. But the New XC60 goes one step forward. This is a choice that is fully in line with our strategic approach to develop systems that enhance road safety in real road conditions. Our vision, also expressed as Vision 2020 (Vision 2020), is by 2020 to have all the technology needed to there is no loss of life or serious injury in any accident involving a Volvo model“..
The innovative City Safety collision avoidance system, which Volvo first introduced to the automotive industry in the first-generation XC60 and works both during the day and at night, now active for relative speed differences of up to 60 km/h, is now accompanied by power steering. The car provides active power steering assistance to help the driver to avoid other vehicle, cyclists, pedestrians, large animals or an obstacle in front of him while preparing the necessary safety belts and the brakes for automatic braking if the driver does not react in time. The power steering in the new system works for speeds between 50 and 100 km/h.
An additional new safety system is the Oncoming Lane Mitigation (Reverse Driving Avoidance System), which uses power steering to help prevent the prevention of frontal conflicts. This system helps drivers avoid collisions with oncoming vehicles. The system warns the driver when he unintentionally moves out of his lane and into oncoming traffic, then giving him automatic power steering, so as to drive it back into the correct lane and out of the path of an oncoming vehicle. This system is active for speeds between 60 and 140 km/h.
Power steering is now also available on the new generation of the BLIS, the familiar blind-spot monitoring system, which also benefits from the power steering function to reduce the possibility of collisions in lane change cases. If a risk is detected from oncoming other vehicle behind from the New XC60, BLIS now works redirecting the car back into its lane.
As an optional option on the New XC60 equipment, it will also be offered the Pilot Assist, the advanced Volvo's semi-autonomous driving system, active on roads with good signalling and up to 130 km/h.
The platform
The floor of the 403bhp Volvo XC60 T8 Twin Engine
And the New Volvo XC60, like the 90 Series models, has been designed, developed and built exclusively and in its entirety by Volvo. It is built on the new Variable Product Architecture (Scalable Product Architecture - SPA), which offers huge potential for flexibility, evolution and economies of scale for the Swedish brand and on which all future Volvo's major models will be based. Perhaps most importantly, the SPA offers unlimited possibilities in terms of electrification and hybrid technology. The New XC60 is also available - already from its launch - in Twin Engine Hybrid version.
The engines
The New XC60 is available in petrol and diesel versions, exclusively with the familiar, two-litre four-cylinder engines Drive-E engines, which are distinguished by their top performance and very low fuel consumption, with power starting from 190 and reaches 407 horsepower, in T8 Twin Engine hybrid version!All versions are combined with the excellent eight-speed automatic transmission, known from its widespread use in the 90 Series models and is standard equipment on the New XC60.
The diesel versions are available in two power levels, with 190 (version D4) or 235 (D5 version) horses. And in the New XC60 the two-litre diesel engines in the Drive-E family feature Volvo's patented 90 Series, the PowerPulse. This is an innovative implementation which ensures immediate response at the throttle without the slightest lag that often characterises diesel turbo engines. The PowerPulse works by channelling air under pressure, from the air filter, through a Compressor, in a two-litre container. When the driver wants to accelerate either from a standstill or from low revs, the pressurised air is fed through a valve into the exhaust manifold to feed the turbo. This results in an immediate and high power supply. The air in the storage tank is automatically recirculated and the availability is continuous. This patent gives the New XC60 impressive acceleration figures.
As regards the petrol engines publications, the use of mechanical supercharger (operation up to 3,500 rpm) and turbo (full-speed operation) ensures excess power with immediate response and excellent operating characteristics. T5 versions are available with 254 horsepower and T6 with 320 horsepower.
All versions are all-wheel drive while early next year the D4 and T5 versions will also be available as front-wheel drive.
Also available on the market will be the plug-in T8 Twin Engine AWD hybrid version, with a combined power of 407 hp. The combination 320 hp petrol engine and electric motor will offer 0-100 acceleration in km/h in 5.3 seconds, torque 640 Nm (approx. 65,3 kilometers), just 49 gm CO2 emissions and autonomy with pure electrification almost 45 kilometers.
driving dynamics
The engineers' goal from the start was simple and simple: to create a class-leading SUV with impressive luxury and plenty of space, with the driver sitting relatively high - typically for the class - but inspired by the car itself for dynamic driving. The engineers' motto in developing the larger XC90 was Relaxed Confidence (loosely translated as relaxed confidence), with the aim of emphasising comfort and control, two key elements in the way the driver perceives the car. In the New XC60 this motto has evolved into Inspired Confidence, also in free-flowing performance, where the emphasis is now on control combined with inspiration for more participative driving.
As for the suspension, the solutions adopted are double wishbones at the front, while at the rear the successful implementation presented in the XC90 is followed, with an advanced multi-link design with an additional structural element for better handling, combined with a transverse composite rubber plate in the role of a spring for maximum space utilisation.
The capabilities offered by the SPA in combination with the Drive-E powertrains and the well-designed and sophisticated suspension, give the New XC60 a dynamic "grip" with top-quality rolling and excellent rigidity, ensuring the absence of squeaks and vibrations while the driver feels in complete control thanks to the high degree of information from the steering wheel. At the same time, the many customisation options offer the driver the opportunity to perfectly adapt the car to his or her personal driving style.
In the New XC60 too, the driver-car interface is via 'Sensus'. State-of-the-art touchscreen and software, as made widely known from the 90 Series, are used, allowing the driver to instantly build an instinctive understanding of the system's operating philosophy, where the controls are located and how to operate them.
The touchscreen replaces the conventional set of buttons and controls on the centre console with an elegant control panel. This screen interfaces with the digital instrument panel in front of the driver, while vital information is displayed on the lower part of the windscreen with the Head-Up Display system. The control system also includes controls on the steering wheel and voice command capability.
