Volvo unveils V60 estate
July 6th, 2010 by Richard Aucock
VOLVO has shown this autumn’s new V60 estate – and revealed the UK will be its 2nd-biggest market in the world.
9 in 10 of the new BMW 3 Series Touring and Audi A4 Avant rival will be sold in Europe.
UK buyers are second only to Swedes in expected take-up of the car’s 50,000-unit annual volume.
It’s being aimed at those who like the S60 it’s based on, but need more space and flexibility, said Volvo president and CEO Stephen Odell.
Volvo is very keen to stress the coupe-like styling, with a wedge shape and slim roofline. It is not designed to be an out-and-out load-lugger, says Volvo; for those buyers, it will steer them to the V70.
‘Our sports wagon does not aim to compete with the traditional estate car,’ said V60 designer Orjan Sterner.
To drive this home even further, Volvo is already planning to retail an optional styling pack; this will feature front and rear skid plates, side scuff plates, special exhausts and 18-inch wheels.
It will use the same engine line-up as the S60 saloon, so will be based heavily around the D3 and D5 diesels. Volvo also says there will be an eco-model DRIVe variant. The firm has yet to release CO2 figures for this headline green version, though.
The question most ask of an estate, though: how big? Well, seats-up, it’s 430 litres. That’s OK, but not huge – a Ford Mondeo hatchback is bigger. At this stage, Volvo hasn’t even bothered to release a figure with the 40:20:40-split rear seats down – as if to emphasise the fact it’s not a true load-lugger.
Standard on all versions, though, will be the City Safe system, which automatically brakes if the driver doesn’t. It operates at speeds below 18mph.
There is also a welter of other hi-tech equipment, including a high-line stereo, that befits its premium-wannabe status.
What do you make of the new Volvo estate?