All-new Drive-E engine arrives in Volvo XC60
Volvo’s all-new generation of Drive-E engines makes an official entry into the Malaysian market, tasked to power the newly-facelifted XC60 and marking the Swedish brand’s transition from previous-generation Ford engines to a new family of in-house designed powertrains.
Locally-assembled in Volvo’s Shah Alam plant, the XC60 is for the moment offered exclusively with a single T5 variant with a more powerful T6 model slated to arrive in early 2015. Early units are built on imported pre-welded monocoque frames although subsequent units will have locally welded and painted bodies.
In appearance, the new XC60 points the way to the next generation of Volvos to be based on the company’s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform that is set to debut globally soon with the all-new XC90. A newly-shaped hood and chrome bar grille emphasizes the vehicle’s width up front, whilst the rear is more subtly touched up with new tail pipes integrated into the diffuser moulding.
Inside features a similarly refreshed cabin that whilst retaining the original model’s basic architecture, also incorporates newer design touches borrowed from the new V40, notably its illuminating gear lever and LCD screen instrument panel (optional). Paddle shifters are included as standard.
As before, safety remains comprehensive in the XC60’s agenda, with autonomous braking, blind spot warning, collision warning, Cross Traffic Alert, and whiplash protection as standard. The enhanced City Safety autonomous braking system now acts at speeds as high as 50kph, whilst the blind spot warning system switches from the earlier camera-based implementation to a newer radar-based system monitoring a region spanning up to 70 metres behind the car. The upcoming T6 variant will feature an even wider plethora of active safety technologies.
Headline news of the facelifted XC60 is, of course, in the engine room, where Ford’s 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine makes way for a Volvo self-developed powertrain of similar capacity. Introduced worldwide only last year, the Drive-E engine is slated to fully replace Volvo’s existing generation of engines within a time frame of two years.
A notable aspect of Volvo’s strategy with the Drive-E powertrain family is the communization of engine block measurements, with both petrol and diesel variants sporting identical bore and stroke lengths (82.0mm by 93.2mm) to yield an engine capacity of 1,969cc. Owing to higher levels of internal stress, the diesel block is engineered with higher structural strength – not an uncommon feature in powertrain development.
Despite offering the entire engine family with only one displacement, Volvo delivers variety by having outputs ranging from 120hp to 306hp. In Malaysia, the turbocharged T5 version being offered pushes out 245hp and 350Nm, making it a natural replacement for the Ford EcoBoost engine of similar outputs that powered the previous T5 model. Mated with an 8-speed automatic transmission from Aisin-Warner, the new XC60 T5 has a maximum speed of 210kph whilst sipping just 6.7 l/100km on the combined cycle.
The upcoming T6 model will be getting an enhanced version of the same engine, boosted by a turbo and supercharger to make 306hp and 400Nm. Volvo’s audacity to explore the complexities of twincharging after the Volkswagen Group’s direction to revert back to regular turbocharging is admirable. Worth noting that in this current guise, Volvo has yet to offer an AWD version of the XC60 with any engine option, so we’re curious to see how the T6’s 535i-level outputs fare with front-wheel drive traction.
Available for booking at all authorized Volvo dealers immediately, the new Volvo XC60 is priced at RM288,888 on-the-road without insurance. In addition to its regular equipment, Volvo also offers a range of cost options for owners to spruce up their XC60 as they see fit. These accessories are offered at special prices as listed below until 31 August 2015 after which new prices apply:
– Sigrid Package: Bodykit with front skid plate – RM3,300 (normal: RM4,073)
– Candor Package: 20″ x 8 Diamond Cut / Iron Stone alloy wheels with matching Pirelli Scorpion Zero tyres – RM15,400 (normal: RM19,020)
– Olav Package: Front and rear mouldings, Primed Colour Running Board, Aluminium Side Step – RM6,650 (normal: RM7,945)
– Vidar Package: Adaptive Digital Display – RM2,600 (normal: RM3,216)
– Viking Package: All of the above – RM25,155 (normal – RM34,254)
