The spectacular Volvo XC60, which is a finalist in the 2010 South African Guild of Motoring Journalists Car of the Year competition, is now available with a 2.4-litre engine and front-wheel drive. The new engine lowers fuel consumption and emissions without sacrificing power.
This is also the car that proudly drives the Nedbank Golf Challenge players and their families around for the period of the event.
XC60
Volvo Car South Arica launched the XC60 to the SA market early this year – and it was met with great enthusiasm, received fantastically positive road test reviews and a nod of approval from happy buyers.
A car that stops the traffic, and itself
The gorgeous Volvo XC60 is a real traffic stopper, but the biggest single new feature in the XC60 is City Safety – a revolutionary system that will stop the car by itself to help the driver avoid or reduce the effects of the type of low-speed impacts that are common in city traffic and traffic tailbacks.
Volvo is the first manufacturer in the world to offer this type of feature as standard. City Safety advertises that the new XC60 is the safest car Volvo has ever produced. The car is packed with Volvo’s accumulated safety know-how and technology, both when it comes to preventing accidents and protecting all the occupants in a collision.
The new addition to the XC60 range – the 2.4D FWD – the players’ car
The new diesel engine is available in either Geartronic or manual guise, with the manual earning the new Volvo DRIVe badge due to its low CO2 emission and fuel consumption.
The Volvo XC60 2.4D FWD Geartronic is the newest addition to Volvo’s XC60 range and will make it’s first appearance at this year’s Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City as the official transport for players and their families.
The XC60 2.4D manual DRIVe, which will be added to the XC60 range early next year, will also be on display at Sun City. (DRIVe is Volvo’s range of environmentally-friendly vehicles. Vehicles that fall within certain C02 emission parameters are badged as DRIVe. The XC60 2.4D manual will be the first DRIVe vehicle launched in South Africa)
The 2.4 engine and low emissions
This new powerplant is an upgraded Euro 5-compliant 2.4-litre diesel engine that delivers 129kW and 420 Nm of torque. “We’ve increased the engine’s performance and at the same time we have succeeded in cutting fuel consumption. This highlights the immense potential of conventional drivelines to deliver continued reductions in carbon dioxide emissions,” says Magnus Jonsson, Senior Vice President, Research & Development at Volvo Cars.
“This is the first step in a determined drive towards systematic reduction of CO2 emissions from our conventional drivelines. The next stage for the XC60 is a micro-hybrid with the potential for reducing emissions to about 140 g/km,” adds Magnus Jonsson.
Coupled with the manual gearbox, CO2 emissions are 159 g/km and fuel consumption is approximately 6.0 l/100 km. The corresponding figures with Geartronic transmission are approximately 6.9 l/100 km and 183 g/km.
A range of driveline improvements
In addition to front-wheel drive, a variety of smaller improvements contribute to the attractive fuel consumption and CO2 figures.
The engine has lower compression, more efficient combustion and the latest generation of engine management. The single turbocharger has been optimised to produce high torque from low revs.
Unaffected sportiness
One important aim of the development process is to retain the sporty properties that are a central part of this new crossover’s attraction.
“More horsepower, higher torque and a sporty chassis setting all help give the front-wheel drive variant the right XC60 dynamics. It’s the perfect choice for buyers who want to focus on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions without compromising on driving pleasure,” says Michelle Naudé, marketing director at Volvo Car South Africa.
Volvo XC60 line-up
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D5 Geartronic R481 000 (this model has been upgraded and the new D5 engine delivering 151kW and 420 Nm of torque)
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3.0T Geartronic R515 000
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2.4D FWD Geartronic R427 500
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2.4D FWD Manual DRIVe R415 000