By Kim Tae-jong
Throughout its long history, Volvo Car has been regarded as an icon of safe motoring. Cars from the Swedish automaker have long been highly acclaimed for their solidity and reliability.
But that may have been a less-appealing aspect for drivers here, who put more stress on performance, good-looks or simply high fuel efficiency.
For them, the emphasis on safety sounded like an old cliche, and it may have led many of them to turn their back on Volvo vehicles.
But Volvo’s S60 has changed such preconceptions of the Swedish brand. This sporty and dynamic sedan looks to satisfy drivers who have a passion for driving as well as safety.
At a first glance, it successfully draws attention with its stylish and sporty design. (Forget about Volvo’s boxy sedans of the past.)
Inside the car, it feels as if it is a much more spacious than its competitors such as the BMW 320d, Mercedes-Benz E200 or Audi A4 2.0 TDI.
The interior is also upgraded from the understated designs of past models. Its stylish LED illumination gear selector is one of several newly-added interior features.
Volvo has launched the S60 in four forms here — the D4 and D5 with 2-liter and 2.4-liter diesel engines, respectively, and the T4 and premium T4 with a 2 liter gasoline engines.
This reporter recently had the chance to drive the D4 and loved the model, which is as strong and powerful as German-made sport sedans.
The smaller engine version promises outstanding performance with 163 horsepower and maximum torque of 40.8 kilogram-meters. Its fuel efficiency stands at 14 km/l.
To minimize the inconvenience of diesel engines, the S60 is backed up by a range of electronic systems that sharpen the sporty driving experience, such as advanced stability control or corner traction control, which uses torque vectoring so the car can take curves more smoothly.
As you’d expect from Volvo Car, the S60 is heavily loaded with various safety features, too.
In addition to airbags, ABS and electronic stability control, the S60 features pedestrian detection and a city safety technology.
It helps reduce, and even prevent, low-speed collisions because the vehicle at speeds of less than 50 km/h will automatically apply the brakes if the driver does not respond in time ahead of a possible collision. In the previous model, the system worked only under 30 km/h.
It is also equipped with BLIS, which helps drivers avoid accidents due to blind spots.
When another vehicle enters a driver’s blind spot, BLIS will alert him or her with a warning signal, giving them a better chance of steering clear.
e3dward@koreatimes.co.kr