2011 Volvo S60 Fully Revealed & Detailed

Volvo's all-new S60 has been further revealed and fully detailed ahead of the Geneva Motor Show. Volvo has ambitious plans for its compact luxury sedan, aiming for the S60 to become the biggest-selling model in its range, with a sales target of 90,000 car units for the first year of sale.

Described as “the most dynamic car Volvo has ever presented”, S60 is underpinned by Ford Mondeo's platform with further revisions. Compared to the previous S60, the suspension is tuned for a sharper driving experience, while the steering is also quicker. Two chassis variants will be offered: Dynamic and Comfort, each with different damper settings and changes to the front and rear subframes. Comfort is standard, with Dynamic as optional, for Asian and the U.S. markets, while the reverse is true for European markets.

S60 will be launched with two petrol engines—304-bhp 3.0-litre turbo in-line six-cylinder and 203-bhp 2.0-litre turbo in-line four-cylinder—and two diesel engines—163-bhp and 205-bhp in-line five-cylinders. Four more engines will be added to the engine range in the first year of sale. Six-speed manual, automatic and PowerShift dual-clutch transmissions will be options, along with a choice between FWD versus 4WD.

Safety equipments include the Pedestrian Detection system, which detects pedestrians, emits a warning to the driver if the car is drawing too close, and automatically brakes if the driver fails to do so. Volvo's City Safety will also automatically bring S60 to a halt in the absence of driver input, preventing low-speed rear-end impacts. The Corner Traction Control system brakes the inner driven wheel while applying more power to the outer driven wheel, hence reducing the tendency to understeer.

Production of the S60 starts in the third quarter of 2010 in Ghent, Belgium. But no worries, you will see this car in Malaysia before the end of the year as Volvo Car Malaysia promised. There is this video to enjoy too if you can't get enough of S60.