10 November 2009 - 10:00
Cruise ship
We were promised longships and we got them. Sort of. This is the all-new Volvo S60 - the proper, authentic production version - and it's pretty much identical to the concept we saw last year. Which featured Viking longships in the headlights, if you looked hard enough.
And like a ship, the S60 has been ‘built to move you', we're told, which is a useful trait in a car. We're also told that lots of technology will keep you safe behind the wheel. Things like a new pedestrian detection system, which scans the road and pavement and slams the brakes on should an errant pensioner sprawl themselves in your path.
Other details are thin, but the concept promised a 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol engine with dual-clutch gearbox, a stop-start system and a clever self-adjusting grille shutter, which closes to reduce air drag when the engine is cool enough. If it manages all that, the now 10-year-old S60 might finally give the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class a bit of a scare.
The car won't be properly unveiled until the Geneva show next March, where various hairy Norsemen will be available to talk us through that headlight design...
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Uuurrrgghh. Yukky.
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At least it does the split front light design better than the E-Class and it looks purposeful like an Insignia which I presume it shares a fair bit with. The self adjusting grille is clever, green and unnoticeable which are all good things.
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I agree with StigsIrishCousn, it reminds me of the Insignia, and that's a good thing, it is a great looking car. But on the other hand that front grill is way too big, makes it look like a vacuum cleaner. Still, it's better.
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volvo=safety longboats=horde of murderous vikings out to lop your head off! doesn't match,does it?
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volvo=safety longboats=horde of murderous vikings out to lop your head off! doesn't match,does it?
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I wonder do they still use the same font at interior texts as they've been using for 20 years... hope not, its just sooo boring. @StigsIrishCousn: How can you like more Volvos headlight desing rather than MBE? Its same! i bet that if some1 brokes volcos headlight, you can go to 'Benz shop and buy matching 1! Altough, didnt MBE copy that light desing from that smaller volvo suv - xc60 or sumpthin'?
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@Gergo, FWD Focus, Golf GTi, Sirocco, Alfa's, Abarth.. driving the front wheels isn't bad, it saves weight and if you know how to drive them, it can be very fun too. just not the smoking the rears up fun. i see its main problem is being a volvo
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thats huge are they leaving any room for the s80 to be big. who would have thought volvo would get the hang of style and make something like this, compare it with a boxy eastate model which i adored when they were the go, but volvo now is making such great cars people shouldnt ignore them. anyhow the citroen c5 is a bit more interesting than a volvo
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I think Volvo's last few cars the C30 XC60 have been quite good with engines and desgin and am sure this one will be no different.
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Oh well... the concept looked good. This... not. I don't like the direction Volvo is going, the new C30 doesn't look good either, esp. compared to the brilliant old C30. As if they put the car into an oven and let it melt. It's too round.
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I'm sure it's gonna be great technologically, but I think it looks a bit of a mess with far too many curves competing for your attention. Especially displeased to see the high rounded shoulderline ditched - I quite liked being able to trace that back over the Volvo generations and find commonality. That's gone and everything looks a bit, well, Korean. Let's hope the rump improves things.
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Looks good and knowing Volvo it'll be comfy and economic, but what I think is letting it down are al the safety systems. Yes, they are good but there are just too much of them and for a car that looks as good as this it spoils it, becasue if it wouldn't have them I'd say it's a cool car.
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Hmm, is the Porsche Nordic Gold supposed to go with the longboat headlights (which I'm not really seeing, btw)? It's better looking than the old S60 - more modern, with some unique touches, although that waistline just looks like it was drawn freehand because the designer lost his ruler or something - but I don't like FWD saloons. Front-drive works in small chuckable hatchbacks, but in a big heavy saloon it just seems ungainly.
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I'll reserve my judgement untill we see it in the lfesh. Those healights, the waistine 'wave', the interior, etc. all seem to be of the kind that might just look better in the flesh than on pictures. Especially these unrealistic studio photo renderings... Does seem a little better than previous S60 though a question remains of the timelessness of the design. One of the hallmarks of the 'german trio' has always been that once a new model is launched the old model remains good looking enough to keep second hand demand high. BMW learnt that lesson again the hard way with the first Bangle-designed 7 series: if you're struggling to sell new cars you've got problems. If you're struggling to sell second hand cars then you've got problems for many years to come!
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Not sure about the looks. Like the facelifted C30, a quick glance and it looks great ...but closer inspection and things just seem ever so slightly, well, wrong. Take the waistline; doesn't it look a teensie-weensie bit vague and indecisive? Or the bulbous headlights (is it me, or do they look like they're shedding a tear?). Sorry Volvo, I know you're currently out soliciting for new parents and don't need the criticism, but if I look at the S60 for anything longer than a few seconds I begin to feel it's been randomly generated from some sort of identikit for cars...
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Finally ! A Volvo that looks like something and a great design at that. When viewed in a rear view mirror, it screams: I'm coming to get you ! Lets just hope Volvo gives it the engines to do that with. Pity we can't see if the booty fits the sexy face. Seems the days of boring, ugly Volvos,apart from the XC60,is finally over ! Can we filter this kind of sexy styling through to the rest of the range ?
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Love it, but I agree that the car has been emasculated by reducing it's shoulders. I actually think the old S60 is better looking, there is a whiff of "jelly mold" about this one. Although I've got a Disco now, I LOVE Volvo's. Have had an S60T5 for 5 years, & God I bloody loved it! It handled well, looked great & my God it was comfy. They should have kept the front end from the new V70, which looks very nice indeed.
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I'm really tired of people getting upset because it's FWD, it's not a big sedan! If you read some more about it it's actually smaller than the old S60! Anyways they will for sure have an AWD model and hopefully an R version. Volvo's are starting to look good again.
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FR offers ignificant performance shortfall versus insignificant savings. Buy the Cupra. Or better yet the Clio Cup.
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Gergo commented on this article
10 November 2009
finally a Volvo which doesnt look like a box.its a pity that itt has front wheel drive
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