Locally assembled Volvo S60 to come soon
The recently launched all-new Volvo S60 will soon be available to Malaysian buyers at more attractive prices as Volvo Car Malaysia (VCM) has officially announced the impending arrival of CKD variants in the coming months. Order taking has already commenced, and the first 60 customers will receive a ‘special surprise’ from VCM.
Rolling out from Shah Alam, the locally assembled S60 will be offered in two variants, T4 and T5, both powered by turbocharged direct injection engines. The T5 continues to use the same 2.0-litre Ford EcoBoost mill used by the CBU version rated to produce 240hp and 320Nm.
The T4’s engine, which displaces only 1.6 litres, also hails from the Ford EcoBoost family. It is good for 180hp and 270Nm, putting it squarely against the BMW-PSA Prince engine, which makes 184hp and 240Nm in its award-winning state of tune used by the MINI Cooper S.
Both models will be offered with Getrag’s 6-speed Powershift dual clutch transmission as standard, and in the T5, the setup is good enough for a 7.5-second century sprint and 230kph top speed. The 1.6-litre T4 is unlikely to be a slouch either, but it promises a wallet friendly 7.0 litres/100km fuel consumption … expect a still decent 8.0 – 9.0 litres/100km in real life.
The six-cylinder AWD T6 variant, which features twin-scroll turbocharging to boost the outputs of its 3.0-litre motor to 304hp and 440Nm, will not be rolling out from Shah Alam. Those of you who would prefer to have this top dog will need to put your money down now while VCM still has stocks left over from its most recent shipment.
As usual, Volvo does not skim on safety features, and the locally assembled T5 will still have Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake technology as per the CBU model. It is capable of avoiding collisions with pedestrians at speeds up to 35kph if the driver does not react in time. Be warned, however, that the system only works if the said pedestrian is taller than 80cm and is not carrying big objects that may distort his or her humanoid silhouette.
On a side note, we have just concluded our review of the fully imported S60 T5 over the weekend. We look forward to bring you our verdict of the car sometime in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned.
