Geneva Motor Show – The latest Volvo XC90’s quality vibes are now filtering down to the 60 family, starting with the second-generation XC60 that was revealed at the Geneva show on Tuesday.
Though bearing a strong family resemblance to that aforementioned big brother, the new XC60 has an altogether tauter and more muscular design that complements its smaller dimensions. Same goes for the frontal design, except that now the ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlights merge with the characteristic rectangular grille.
With the previous XC60 having accounted for 30 percent of the Swedish carmaker’s annual sales volumes, this is a car that Volvo can’t afford to get wrong, and the newcomer’s well balanced design is likely to strike the right chord with buyers in this segment.
Being a Volvo it also has an unspoken obligation to move the safety game forward and to that end Volvo confidently asserts that this XC60 is one of the safest cars ever made. Among its highlights, the City Safety system now has Steer Assist to help prevent lane-changing collisions and mitigate head-on crashes.
Volvo will also offer Pilot Assist as an option on the XC60. This semi-autonomous driver-assisting gizmo can help with the steering, acceleration and braking at speeds of up to 130km/h on properly-marked roads.
The SUV’s command centre is an updated version of Volvo’s Sensus infotainment system, featuring improved functionality and graphics.
Beneath the bonnet is the familiar range of 2-litre forced-induction engines, with the petrol range comprising 187kW T5 and 235kW T6 variants and the diesel line-up offering 140kW D4 and 173kW D5 options, the latter also featuring Volvo’s lag-combatting PowerPulse system.
The South African details and pricing will be announced closer to launch, which Volvo SA (provisionally) expects to happen around the second quarter of 2018.