Volvo unleashed its new for 2011 S60 sports sedan in hopes of stealing buyers away from Bavaria. Their plan was to advertise the stalwart safety machine in a way that showcased its horsepower and European handling instead of its too-many-to count safety features. For the 2012 model year, Volvo plans on upping the ante with the revealed S60 R-Design.
Changes have been made to the exterior by way of much more aggressive bumpers, side flares and wheels. The angles are sharp and the body is cut but not too much that it falls into the “boy-racer” category; it’s still subtle enough to take on a business trip. The interior receives a few different trim pieces but remains mostly the same as the standard S60s. Of course, being that it is a Volvo, it still retains all of its safety features that make it a Volvo.
What is a welcome change is this S60 breaks the 300 hp barrier with a 25 hp increase to 325 from its single turbo, 3.0 liter inline six. Torque jumps up to 354 lb-ft from the standard S60 T6’s 325 lb-ft. All of this twist is put to the ground via the Volvo 6 speed auto and their AWD system. The system does have a greater leaning towards safety than performance being that its electronic control puts the majority of the power to the front wheels and the chances of the stability control being disabled fully are low.
Even still, this Volvo will undoubtedly be fast; expect 0-60 times to be in the low 5 seconds. With an estimated MSRP of $42,275, the S60 R-Design gives a lot more horsepower compared to a similarly priced BMW 328i.
