The Volvo S60 Concept Breaks Cover Ahead of the Detroit Auto Show; Hot or Not?

It's the holiday season, and Volvo has gotten in the spirit of giving. Balancing out Ford's desire to give away the brand, Volvo is giving us all a look at the new S60 Concept ahead of its official debut at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show next month. Some details are still missing, but with plenty of pictures we can get a good idea about what direction Volvos are going in the near future (besides toward China). When Volvo first gave us a peek at a dimly lit shot of the car, we noticed an interesting resemblance to the Jaguar XF. Now that the whole car has been revealed, we can see that Volvo has clearly taken a unique approach to their new styling. While the grille is clearly that of a Volvo and the front end does still resemble the stylish XF, the front fascia is unique to the car and almost gives the impression that it's trying to hold the engine back from leaping out through the grille. We're not sure we see Viking Longboats in the headlight housings as Volvo suggests, but we do like the LED headlights they contain. A clear character line trails from the rearmost tip of the headlights along the side of the car and to the tail lights. Along the way, it passes across the B-pillar-less, center-opening doors under the smooth arc of the roofline. In the rear, the triangular, integrated exhaust pipes and trapezoidal license plate mounting area on the trunk give the tail strong lines without being ostentatious. The shape of the rear window is a bit awkward near the top, but that's due to a visible support beam running under the all-glass roof. Another, less visible beam crosses the roof where the top of the windshield would typically be. Entry to the vehicle and its soft leather seats will be quite easy thanks to front doors that open nearly 90 degrees, a lack of B-pillars and rear doors that open similar to the sliding doors on a minivan. While the door handles for both the front and rear doors are found in the center of the car, the rear doors are not hinged at the rear. Rather, an arm built into the door pops the door out from the car, then slides it back, covering the rear wheel. While an interesting design exercise, we doubt this particular feature will see production. Inside, all the occupants will be treated to the car's centerpiece, a three-piece Orrefors crystal center console running down the dash and through the middle of the car to the rear seat backrest. Volvo has admitted that production cars likely won't have real crystal in them, but could instead feature clear plastics that would look similar. Above the crystal center stack, we find an instrument panel quite similar to the one just unveiled in the new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. It features a backlit speedometer in the center, flanked on either side by small screens that can display various different bits of information. To the right of the instrument panel is a small nav screen set deep into the dash and integrated into the dark housing that brings all of the instruments together and sets them off from the creamy white dash. Down on the center stack, the audio and climate controls and a display have been integrated into the crystal. Past them, a handle-shaped gear selector can also be rotated to point up for use in manually changing cogs. The cogs you'll be changing will be found in a technology that Volvo calls Powershift. Volvo describes it succinctly as "two manual gearboxes working in parallel, each regulated by its own clutch." Powershift is a name Ford has tossed around for its coming dual-clutch gearbox, and by the looks of it, the transmission will make its debut in the S60 concept. However the transmission is configured, it will receive power from a 1.6L GTDi four-cylinder turbocharged and direct-injected gasoline engine making 180 hp and emitting only 0.42 lbs of CO2 per mile. Helping the little engine achieve such efficiency are several technologies. First is Volvo's "stratified combustion," wherein the combustion chambers are designed to create a perfect mix of fuel and air right around the spark plugs, reducing the amount of fuel needed and cutting consumption. In addition to the "Powershift" gearbox and an electric power steering pump, the drivetrain also features a Start/Stop feature that shuts down the engine when the car is stopped and idling, such as at a traffic light. The driver can also use the "DRIVe-Mode" system to select an economy setting that limits several electrical and mechanical systems that sap power from the engine, further increasing efficiency. Other efficiency features include a flat underbody to improve aerodynamics, extensive use of lightweight materials and a special wind-deflector that moves into place over the cabin air intake to cut drag when the cabin cooling system isn't being used. We're not sure how the big, 20-in. seven-spoke wheels will affect all the fuel economy, though. Also cutting fuel consumption is an updated Adaptive Cruise Control system that works at any speed, including at a stop. The radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control will now maintain a set time gap between your car and the car ahead all the way down to a standstill. What this means is that you'll be able to turn on the cruise control in stop and go traffic and the car will all but drive itself (you'll still have to steer, of course). The system appears to be very similar to Mercedes-Benz' DISTRONIC adaptive cruise control as featured optionally in the S-Class. Volvo's longstanding reputation for safety is being enhanced yet again on the S60 Concept. Debuting on the concept and arriving in production cars later this year, Volvo's new Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake system will actively try to avoid collisions with other cars and pedestrians if the driver does not respond to audio and visual warnings. A radar unit behind the grille and a camera behind the rearview mirror work together to recognize the movement patterns of a pedestrian straying out in front of the vehicle and give audio warnings and display a red light on the heads-up display meant to look like a brake light. If the driver fails to react, the car will apply full brakes to minimize the collision, reducing the collision force by as much as 75%. If the car is traveling less than 12 mph, the system can avoid the collision entirely. In the event that the driver is about to rear-end another car rather than hit a pedestrian, the system can react in the same manner. If the speed difference between the cars is less than 15 mph, the system can avoid a collision altogether. "The sporty design gives visual promise of an enthusiastic drive and I can assure you here and now that the all-new S60 will live up to that promise," said Volvo CEO Stephen Odell. "The driving properties are better than in any previous Volvo. The car's technology will also help you to be a better and safer driver." The Volvo S60 Concept will debut in less than a month at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show in January. Following that, a production model meant for the 2010 model year should debut some time later in 2009. Much of the technology found on the concept, though, should begin showing up on production cars well before the 2010 S60 hits the showroom floor. Source: Volvo