August 9^th, 2000

S60 sedan: a sleek new "driver’s car" unveiled

With inspired styling and strategically packaged in size to arouse interest from younger buyers - those traditionally attracted to German marques - Volvo’s new S60 sedan was shown to the world’s motoring media yesterday in Stockholm, with the Australian launch anticipated for late January 2001.

Like the luxurious S80 sedan and V70 wagon, the S60 was developed using Volvo’s large platform, and as a positive consequence the new S60 inherits industry-leading passive safety features and Volvo’s lineup of potent and efficient five-cylinder engines - naturally aspirated and turbocharged.

The classic elements of Volvo styling are obvious in the new S60’s Volvo-family grille, strong waistline and pronounced haunches and its large tail lights. However, the S60’s fresh style and sporting proportions are characterised by its low, sloping ‘coupe’ roofline and curtailed front and rear overhangs.

While it will undoubtedly appeal to many current Volvo sedan buyers, the S60 will also appeal to younger, design-conscious buyers who appreciate its safety, environmental concern, practical and convenient features, and no doubt its bare-knuckle performance.

In line with Volvo’s ambitious volume aspirations, the new S60 will be aggressively priced, starting in the mid $50,000s, ranging up to the low $70,000s.

Styling a statement
The S60 project began in 1997. The original brief described a sporty car with strong visual performance which would appeal in particular to young people. A car to be seen in, a car that made a statement.

Volvo design director Peter Horbury interprets the S60’s styling thus: "Design a car that will appeal to younger people, those that normally wouldn’t consider a Volvo. Young people who want to be perceived as having good taste and intelligence and, not least, as leading an active life and who have a social conscience. In short: design a Volvo sedan that is inspired by a sports car and drives like one."

The design team grafted elements of the C70 coupe’s roofline with the body structure of a four-door sedan. This was achieved by sloping the rear of the S60 forward without encroaching on interior passenger area.

"The roof, windscreen and driver were all pulled forward, resulting in a true cab-forward design in the proper sense of the term," says Geza Loczi, project team member working closely with Horbury. "Such a solution not only gives the car a powerful profile, it also gives the driver an excellent position of control."

The proportions are beautiful as well as powerful. The boot is more dome-shaped compared with other Volvo sedans which helps to round off the body, and when viewed from behind the S60’s styling stands strong, unlike many other sedans.

Choice of seating configurations
In the S60, the driver has a commanding view through the large windscreen, and all gauges and visual information are conveniently grouped in the driver’s direct line of sight. The S60’s interior is purposefully designed to assist the driver.

Head of Interior Design, Jose Diaz de la Vega says, "The inside is just as important as the outside when it comes to overall impression. From the outside, the S60 says ‘drive me’. This must of course also be felt when entering the car. Therefore, the S60 is strongly driver-oriented."

Compared to the S80 and V70, the front seats in the more sporting S60 offer more lateral support in combination with excellent ergonomic body and back support.

The S60 is offered with choice of two rear seat configurations. The "Dynamic" version is heavily sculpted to form a 2+2 configuration, while the "Comfort" version provides more accommodating room for a third rear passenger.

Handling and ride comfort
By measure, the S60’s 2715mm wheelbase is shorter by 40mm than the new V70 (2755mm) , even though the S60 and V70 share platform and MacPherson strut front suspension as well as independent multi-link suspension at the rear.

Because of its shortened front and rear overhangs, the S60’s handling benefits from more optimal weight distribution and minimal moment of inertia. This in turn promotes much quicker steering response.

The forward driving position and short front overhang also improve the drivers view over the bonnet, making it easier for the driver to aim and position accurately the car through corners.

Steering accuracy as well as suspension control is owed in part to the S60’s stiff structure. The S60’s torsional stiffness exceeds 20 kNm/degree, which clearly demonstrates the body structure’s superior level of torsional rigidity.

Ride comfort has not been sacrificed in pursuit of outright road holding and handling. Instead, the S60 rides with an unmistakable sporty feel, albeit quite comfortably.

Owing to the younger target market, Volvo Australia anticipates offering the ‘Dynamic" chassis spring and damper package as standard with the "Sport" package available as an option.

The S60 2.4 20V will come standard with 195/65 tyres on 15" alloys, the 2.4 T will come standard with 205/55 tyres on 16" alloys and the T5 will come standard with 215/55 tyres on 16" alloys. The S60 will also be available with optional 225/45 tyres on 17-inch diameter alloy wheels.

Motivational forces
Power under the S60’s bonnet comes from Volvo’s recently improved and refined RN five-cylinder petrol engines - naturally aspirated and turbocharged.

The S60 will be offered in Australia in three power levels:

S60 2.4 20V Naturally-aspirated 2.4-litre DOHC 20 valve five-cylinder engine with CVVT (continuously variable valve timing on the intake camshaft) developing 125kW at 5900rpm and 230Nm at 4500rpm.

S60 2.4T Light-pressure turbocharged 2.4-litre DOHC five-cylinder engine with CVVT (on the exhaust camshaft) developing 147kW at 6000rpm and 285Nm between 1800-5000rpm.

S60 T5 High-pressure turbocharged 2.3-litre DOHC five-cylinder engine with CVVT (on the exhaust camshaft) developing 184kW at 5200rpm and 330Nm between 2500-5200rpm.

All three engines are accompanied by a five-speed automatic transmission. Depending on specification, the automatic transmission is standard with Geartronic manual sequential shift function available on 2.4 T and T5.

A sporty five-speed manual shift gear lever – the Spaceball – with alloy finish is available to customers ordering manual transmission (standard on T5, optional on other variants).

The 2.4 20V naturally aspirated engine meets the American ULEV-levels while both the turbocharged engines meet LEV-levels.

Safety
Volvo safety engineers have achieved the same high levels of occupant crash protection in the smaller S60 as they achieved in the S80 sedan and V70 wagon. In order to keep the high degree of passenger-compartment integrity, in other words the protective zone surrounding the occupants, a number of adaptations and modifications have been made to suit the S60’s shorter front and rear overhangs; hence its shorter crumple zones.

Inside, the S60 uses the same safety systems (WHIPS, SIPS, IC) as the S80 and V70, adapted to the specific prerequisites of the S60.

Front seat passengers are provided protection by belts with pretensioners and load limiters, dual-stage airbags, seat-mounted side airbags, and an inflatable curtain (IC) running the length of the cockpit to protect the heads of front and rear passengers.

Anti-lock disc brakes are assisted by brake force distribution (EBD) for maximum braking efficiency and control.

Knowing that many S60 owners will be sport minded, Stability and Traction Control (STC) is standard on the 2.4 T; however, when driving with enthusiasm, STC’s high triggering threshold means STC won’t interfere with the pleasure of driving unless urgently required.

The more advanced Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) is standard on the T5.

• PremAir - a coating on the radiator which transforms harmful ground-level ozone into oxygen as you drive.
• Air Quality System - a system that actively monitors the quality of air entering the cockpit and automatically shuts off the in-coming air should it contain unhealthy levels of carbon monoxide. The system also filters in-coming air for pollens and soot particles and toxins. This system is standard on the 2.4 T and T5 and optional on the 2.4 20V.
• Oko-Tex Materials - materials inside the S60 are certified not to contain substances that may cause allergies or irritations.
• Low exhaust emissions and low fuel consumption engines - the S60’s five-cylinder engines meet either the American ULEV or LEV standards.