Imagine this. A small, family sized sedan, that completes the century sprint in 4.4 seconds — on par with most sports cars, comes fully equipped with a full suite of safety features, rated at only 2 litres per 100km (provided you don’t jam the throttle every time), and can comfortably sit 4. Normally, hearing this would warrant a hefty price after reading the mounts of features that the car is equipped with, but the Volvo S60 sits squared against the Audi A4, Mercedes C300, and BMW 330i M Sport, at only RM 296,000.
The platform sits on Volvo’s new Scalable Platform Architecture, which means it shares the same underpinnings with all of its brothers and siblings in the family. The engine is a twin-charged (turbocharged and supercharged) 2.0 litre driving the front wheels while an electric motor gives 87 bhp of push to the rears. As only the T8 (range topper) model is coming to our shores, the car is equipped with Volvo’s latest set of safety features and other niceties that elevate the driving experience.
The dashboard, center console and other things in the interior all remain the same; a tall LCD display dominates the center, flanked by the fully digital dashboard that is all too familiar, seen in other models. Whereas the XC90 gets a crystal gear knob, the S60 makes do with a standard plastic version.
A sports car, it is not however deceiving the looks may be. Yes, the headline figures are there, 404 bhp and 640 Nm thrusts you up and down NKVE at a relatively brisk pace before being tapped at 250 km/h, but you have to remember however, that it is a Volvo first and foremost, which means driver comfort and efficiency. The numbers that should matter when it comes to cars like these are that it emits less Carbon Dioxides than your average sedan (122g CO2/per km) and if you take care to not jam the throttle at every possible moment, it’s relatively easy to get 16 kilometres per litre.
This is a car you want to take on a comfortable high speed cruise, saving the world while you’re at it. The Volvo S60 is now up for sale at all Volvo dealerships nationwide.
