The All-New Volvo V60 Launch

For the past week I have been busy hopping from one car launch to another.
Perhaps it’s a mark of ushering in the new year and new indulgences in the form of vehicles and gadgets are equivalent to a self pat on the back for surviving the past year. Thus what better time would it be to launch new car models?

Whatever it is, a beautiful car is worth the time and attention.

The new VOLVO V60 is blend of good looks and performance. It boasts of a coupe-like design, dynamic performance, advanced driving ability and world leading safety features.

From the pictures above, the first description that may came into one’s mind would be “boxy”; no doubt due to the shape of it’s back.
Then again, the V60 is  Volvo’s “Sportswagon”,  and it does not aim to compete with the traditional estate car. For the customer who wants a lot of load space, there is always Volvo XC60 or XC90.

From the design viewpoint the focus was on making the car as close to a coupe as possible, while retaining that handy extra space at the rear. No doubt this makes the V60 ideal for the young urbanites and families.

Since I’m not an automotive writer, nor am I interested to turn my blog into one that churns out uncomprehensible auto terms, I’ll keep to the pictures (now now, we all know what they say about pictures telling you a thousand words right?) and you can expect me to pepper my post with some simple adjectives like “sleek”, “expensive”, “sporty” and “cool”; which by the way, is about all the terms I’m familiar with. 🙂

Oh, there’s another one. “Luxurious.” Which was exactly how I felt as I sat behind the driver seat of the V60.

Boy, I need to test drive this baby on the road. 🙂
The V60 has essentially blended sportiness and practicality seamlessly. And a touch of luxury doesn’t hurt either. Considering the price.
Man, I love these sports seats with extra side support.

The rear seats.
I have absolutely no idea why one of the seats is “elevated” up as below. Anyone? *Update* –> Apparently it’s a raised rear seat suitable for a child.

The dashboard is another marvel.

The dynamic three-spoke steering wheel .

The new V60 is the most advanced high-tech environment ever available to a Volvo driver.

The Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake takes Volvo’s safety dedication yet another step towards the vision of building cars that do not get involved in accidents.

In the field of comfort, there are features such as the optional Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which automatically maintains a set gap to the vehicle in front. What is new is that the Adaptive Cruise Control operates at speeds below 30 km/h, all the way down to standstill.

I think it might take me a few days to get used to all that controls.

Anyhow, full specs and prices below, just in case a V60 is within your radar in 2012.

Safety features for the V60; packed with safety and comfort-related technical innovations.

And more pictures of course. 🙂