Posted on Wednesday 20 February 2008
Wagons and crossovers accounted for almost half of Volvo’s sales in the U.S. last year, so it comes as little surprise the carmaker will be adding even more of these models to its lineup in the near future. With its all-new XC60 crossover set to make its debut in Geneva next month, Volvo has finally dropped the staid boxy design of its past models and has instead adopted a much sportier and sleeker look.
The new model is claimed to be the safest Volvo ever, featuring a host of new safety technologies including the latest ‘City Safety’ automatic braking system as standard. The car is being launched with a choice of three engines, the turbocharged T6 which produces 285hp, and two variants of the D5 turbodiesel, producing 185 and 163hp respectively. All models also come with AWD as standard.
The new XC60 will go on sale towards the end of the year as a 2009 model where it will have to compete against formidable rivals like the BMW X3 and Land Rover Freelander/LR2 plus the upcoming Mercedes-Benz and Audi Q5. Production will be handled by the carmaker’s factory in Ghent, Belgium, and officials are expecting to sell up to 50,000 units per year, with most of the sales expected to fall in the U.S., Germany, UK, Russia and China.
We’ve also added a gallery of the original XC60 Concept below. As you can see the production car’s styling remains true to the concept version unveiled at last year’s Detroit Auto Show, featuring the same S-shaped LED taillights, swooping headlights and sleek profile. In keeping with a lifestyle theme, the XC60 also features a much more car-like ride height and is devoid of any serious underbody protection.
Volvo XC60 Crossover
Keep the original concept, this is ok but the one before is nicer.
So far I prefer the previous version shown, they are pretty close to each other.
Great to see Volvo adjusting the little things to make it perfect. This new one
is equal or a setback to the original concept. it could be the grill or headlights.
Its nice
Very nice I must admit. I would still take the XC70 any day over this. And what’s with the tiny navigation screen and that big blank space to its right? Can’t Volvo find a bigger screen or make a smaller space? That looks positively tawdry.
I think the interior design looks godawful compared to their previous ones. The “sleek” exterior befits a cheap Korean brand, it totally lacks the refinement of the previous styling.
What happened, Volvo?
WHY. My only question is WHY they have to show us that gorgeous concept? This one looks very nice, but…
I like the official version. It’s a great transition from the concept. For those of you who like the concept better, buy some 20″ rims and your only a hair off. I think Volvo did a fine job.
I like it with every day more, but I still think the concept was way ahead in terms of design.