Despite the company's storied rally history, Volvo seems to have eschewed building its line of R-Design vehicles into street-legal racers in favor of simply creating design packages that give the company's sedans, crossovers and hatches some much-needed attitude. In the case of the 2011 XC60 R-Design, that means the vehicle evolves from a mild-mannered high-rider into a machine begging to be seen delivering a load of equally well-dressed ladies to an exclusive night spot. It may not be able to reduce its tires to a cloud of carcinogens or successfully execute a Scandinavian flick, but this CUV is a much more attractive offering than its straight-laced siblings.
Whereas the larger Volvo XC90 can seat up to seven people with its optional third row, the XC60 is designed to carry five people in two rows. The seats can have some rather startling two-tone color combinations, including black and yellow leather. The XC60 also has a slim dashboard control panel that gives the cabin aesthetic appeal. The second-row bench seat folds flat to expand the cargo area. Interior features include:
- Power driver’s seat
- Dual-zone automatic climate control
- CD stereo with USB input
- Optional premium stereo
- Optional heated front and rear seats
- Available leather upholstery
- R-Design models include unique instruments, steering wheel and sport seats
EXTERIOR
Throw in new color-matched cladding along the lower realms of the bodywork and you've more or less got the full story on the styling tweaks outside. Jump indoors and you'll see that Volvo has coated the vehicle's beautiful center stack in a new, darker material and that the excellent seats now boast contrasting leather panels for an added dash of style. Take the time to look close, and you just might notice the R-Design logo embossed in the leather, too.
ut out of all the kit that comes along with the R-Design package, the new steering wheel takes the cake. Thanks to heaps of perforated leather and plenty of contours laid out just for the ball of your hand and each finger, the wheel feels like it was sculpted for something low, mean and rear-wheel drive. How it wound up on an all-wheel-drive family cruiser is a tale that Volvo isn't telling.
ENGINE
ut out of all the kit that comes along with the R-Design package, the new steering wheel takes the cake. Thanks to heaps of perforated leather and plenty of contours laid out just for the ball of your hand and each finger, the wheel feels like it was sculpted for something low, mean and rear-wheel drive. How it wound up on an all-wheel-drive family cruiser is a tale that Volvo isn't telling.
The XC60 3.2 is powered by a 3.2-liter inline-six-cylinder engine, and T6 models use a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder. Mechanical features include:
- 3.2-liter inline-six makes 240 hp and 236 pounds-feet of torque; low-emissions version sold in some states makes 230 hp and 221 pounds-feet of torque
- Turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder makes 300 hp and 325 pounds-feet of torque (T6)
- New turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder generates 325 hp and 354 pounds-feet of torque (T6 R-Design)
- Six-speed automatic transmission for all engines
- Front- or all-wheel drive
- Optional Four-C adaptive suspension (T6)
The vehicle is operated by a key fob about the size of a box of matches, though it doesn't rely on the same radio-frequency technology that most luxury manufacturers employ. To start the XC60, the driver must insert the fob, wait for a small electric motor to suck it into the dash, and then press the start button. Do any one of these things out of sequence or in a hurry, and the dash will simply regurgitate the fob and you'll be stuck doing the whole dance again, this time with feeling.
If you can get past the hurdle of starting the XC60 R-Design, you'll find one very beautiful, but pricey crossover. Our tester sat a little north of the XC60 R-Design T6 AWD base MSRP of $41,550 thanks to its optional wheels, putting the Volvo in the same arena as the BMW X3 xDrive35i. While we'd likely take the BMW for its more sorted suspension, there's no denying how right the Volvo design team got the XC60 R-Design inside and out. Give us a little more power, a set of adjusted dampers and a reworked starting sequence and we'd be whistling Du Gamla, Du Fria all the way home.
source:cars.com,auto.aol.com
