Automotive Information

“High performance” is not a descriptor generally applied for items from Volvo, the safety-savvy Remedial organization formerly managed by Honda and now possessed by China’s Geely. But three decades after eliminating its R-badged performance types of the V70 and S60, Volvo is dropping its feet returning into the fantastic share with the 2012 S60 R-Design, a more highly effective, more stiffly jumped edition of the companys mid-size automobile. (The XC60 R-Design, which was presented last season with an improved revocation, also gets a energy increase for 2012.) This higher-performance S60 stocks the throne of “most highly effective development Volvo ever” with its sis XC60 R-Design, but it has an constant fight to win over the Euro-sport constituency, as it’s cost right up against some serious and well-established competitors.

That costs begins at $43,375. Firstly, it netting an motor track from Remedial rushing group Polestar that blobs the turbocharged inline-six’s power from 300 to 325. Twisting creates a jump as well, from 325 lb-ft to 354. Polestar did not have to do much to hit these figures. The motor internals stay the same, and the organization merely increased the increase to 14.5 psi (from 13.1) and innovative the ignite moment. Top quality petrol is suggested, whereas the frequent S60 T6 swills frequent. Contact us fortunate for once: The energy increase is particular to U.S.- and Canadian-market R-Designs. EPA fuel-economy reports are the same from the platform vehicles 18 mpg town and 26 highway; we saw 21 mpg overall in our 600-mile check.

The R delivers numerous framework changes as well. Harder revocation bushings decrease the sensation of solitude from the street. In addition to 15-percent-stiffer rises, a front side strut-tower prepare and a 0.6-inch-lower generate size give rise to firm body system management and fast responses. As opposed to with the Four-C flexible framework program available on T6-powered S60s, the R-Design car owner does not get to make on-the-fly improvements to the generate and managing.

Inside the R-Design, red device calls fellow through the sport rim, and front-row bikers sit in more intensely supported variations of leather-wrapped S60 seat. A exclusive front side ligament, back diffuser / extractor, decklid spoiler, and 18-inch R-Design tires circular out the external modifications.

Over the gorge streets coursing through California’s Napa Area, the S60 R-Design is as sleek as the areas popular vino. It’s pretty mild on its legs for a two-ton automobile, and the guiding has fantastic on-center experience and no slop. The car owner can choose from three stages of guiding attempt, with the least heavy demanding just the right quantity of attempt to shift the tie supports. Unfortunately, reviews from the tires is absolutely strained out in all configurations by the electrohydraulic guiding holder, significance that changing to a heftier establishing only creates generating more of a task. The R-Design trips considerably stronger than other all-wheel-drive S60 T6s. We were expecting its sportier framework track would have decreased understeer more, but foreseen force still rules this S60’s cornering behavior; it handled just 0.88 g on the skidpad. Like the S60 T6, the R-Design provides a no-cost summer-tire option: Navigator SportContact3 rubberized calculating 235/40-18 at all four sides.

The braking program chew perfectly without a deceased identify in preliminary your pedal journey, but they, like the R-Design’s guiding, experience from a deficiency of reviews. This is not a issue on community streets, but Volvo cut us decrease on Thunderhill Raceway, where we desired a stronger your pedal with more observe of upcoming ABS activities than the moments-too-late shudders from the your pedal. Avoiding from 70 mph took a long 175 legs, in contrast to the 161 legs we’ve calculated on a frequent T6.

Thanks to the additional pizazz, the R-Design multiplied to 60 mph in 5.3 a few moments and through the quarter-mile in 13.9 at 103 mph, discount rates of 0.2 second from the T6’s numbers. The last S60R we examined, in 2005, only handled 6.4 and 14.6.

Volvo admits the R-Design’s transmission is a weak spot. The six-speed automatic constantly hunts for higher gears when set to drive or sport mode, theoretically to save fuel. We found it worked best in manual mode, even though there are no steering-wheel-mounted paddles or buttons with which to select gears. In this setting, the gearbox will upshift at redline—not sooner—and downshift to the most expedient gear as long as the kickdown switch is triggered. Volvo says it is working on a sportier solution. Whether that is a three-pedal manual or a more controllable automatic (maybe even a dual clutch) wasn’t revealed. Either way, space is a concern, as the transversely mounted inline-six fills most of the room between the wheel wells. Inventive engineering is likely to play a role.