Do Volvo’s claims for its new family
of Drive-E engines stack up in the real world? Thanks to this V60, we’re about
to find out
Poor old Volvo. Over the past 20 years it
has done a lot of things right. After completely reinventing its engineering
(with front and all-wheel drive and lovely five-pot engines), turning out cool
middle-class family cars such as the XC90 and XC60 and still owning real-world
safety, its global sales remain modest.
This year the brand is likely to shift the
thick end of 460,000 cars. Yes, Volvo will make a profit, but BMW and Audi —
brands not so much bigger than Volvo 20 years ago — will make around two
million vehicles. Just what do the Swedes have to do in order to make that
market breakthrough?
Which brings us to this car, the new Volvo
V60 D4 Geartronic. The V60 is familiar enough, a solid and distinctive wagon
that stands out for its characteristically fine interior and practicality. But
a mid-life refresh has been deep and radical enough to transform the model.
The
V60 D4 provides superb refinement and flexibility from its new engine
It is probably the most impressive and
class-competitive — even class-leading in some areas — Volvo since the shock of
the 850 T5 all those years ago.
The key to the appeal of the V60 is the
remarkable new Drive-E four-cylinder engine. Engineered by Volvo itself, the
engine comes in petrol and diesel versions, all 2.0 litres in size and fitted
with various combinations of single and twin turbos and superchargers.
Our V60 has the twin-turbo D4 diesel, which
offers a punchy 295lb ft between 1,750rpm and 2,500rpm, along with 188bhp at
around 3500rpm. While that might seem pretty standard, the official fuel
consumption is not. In six-speed manual form, this car has a CO2 rating of just
99g/km. With the engine hooked up to the optional eight-speed Geartronic
automatic gearbox fitted to our car, the output slips to 109g/km.
The
sweep of the dash is cool and classy, the materials used are uniformly
excellent
Either way, that figure is remarkable. The
mighty BMW 5-series Touring (in 525d Luxury Auto form) can only manage a CO2
rating of 134g/km, albeit while generating another 15bhp or so. Even the
entry-level 518d is rated at 118g/km. The 525d, it’s also worth noting, costs
over £43,000, whereas our nicely equipped new V60 only just nudges north of
£36,000.
The way the Volvo’s figures stack up will
make the case for most of the car’s UK sales. The vast majority of cars in this
sector are company purchases, with CO2 outputs the key decider in the deal.
A while ago I spoke to a Volvo UK salesman
who, when we were discussing the new engines’ CO2 figures, said: “Now we can’t
be ignored.” What he meant was that if buyers hadn’t already been seduced by
Volvo’s head-over-heart qualities, the super-economical engine would sway the
purchase. His relief, after years working in a market dominated by the
cut-throat company car business, was quite clear to see.
The
eight-speed torque converter is congenial in the D4, but it penalizes CO2
emissions where BMW’s dual-clutcher doesn’t
But there’s rather more to the reinvented
V60 than low benefit-in-kind figures. The new engine is also remarkably refined
and the economy is shaping up well. At the time of writing, the car has been
with us for just a few days, but I’ve managed to squeeze in one typical
UK-style business trip.
I drove from Battersea, London, through the
heart of the capital to the southern end of the M1 and then on to Milton
Keynes, a round trip of 122 miles on a mix of city roads and motorway. Although
the trip computer was claiming just 29mpg on the 12-mile drag to the M1 (the
slowness of the journey almost entirely the result of endless traffic lights,
not congestion), by the time I returned home it was showing a 52mpg average.
Indeed, the car arrived with just 660 miles on the clock, so there’ll be more
to come.
New
D4 Drive-E engine really is remarkably refined and makes for a relaxed cabin
The trip highlighted some of the V60’s
other qualities. Cabin refinement on the motorway is striking, the seats, as
far as I’m concerned, remain the best in the business and the light leather and
beige trim really make the interior feel fresh and open. The stop-start system
also seems subtle and quick-thinking, even in pressing urban conditions.
Best of all are the changes to the chassis.
Volvo now does much of its damping work in the UK, and it shows. The refreshed
V60 is more fluid to drive and the steering more connected, and the car comes
across as having more character than the previous model. The V60 is shaping up
to be this magazine’s long-distance runner of choice.
