Wilvo V60 test drive since 2010 station wagon

Volvo V60. Need for Speed

Volvo V60. Price: Not defined. On sale: from the first quarter of 2011

The dynamics of modern life provokes automakers. The thirst for speed, which has long overwhelmed the patrimony of sedans and hatchbacks, is now overwhelming and the traditionally calm family of universal

Test pilot
Vladimir Makkaveev, 33 years old, automobile journalist, driving experience of 14 years, personal car - Volvo C30

In the minds of most of Verona are associated with only two names: Romeo and Juliet. Having glorified Verona forever, Shakespeare made the city a luxurious gift, but at the same time completely deprived him of his own heroes. At least in the minds of foreigners. Another thing is the Italians, of course, tremblely cherish the Shakespearean legend, which feeds and stroke Verona no worse than the surrounding vineyards and beauties of Lake Garda. But if, having heard in response to the question of the most famous native of these places of the surname Montecca and Capuletti, you will smile skeptically, you will be reminded of other names, the first of which will surely be Tazio Nuvolari. The greatest racer of pre -war Europe, he was born in Mantua, which is 40 km south of Verona. The last of the great, the first of the modern ones, wrote admiring fellow countrymen on the monument of Nuvolar. But could the first of the modern at the beginning of the 20th century assume that at the dawn of the century of the XXI, the thirst for speed, which was in the blood of the Tazi, will cover the most conservative layers of automobile society? So much so that family station wagons will not only be able to prescribe Veneto's mountains and pawnshops at a speed subject only to Nuvolar, but will also learn how to slow down on traffic lights and pedestrian crossings, shocking the pious inhabitants of Verona and Mantua. And not only that

When, wandering through the narrow stone labyrinths of Italian cities, the V60, looking around the corner with a fish eye with its panoramic video camera on the radiator grill, slides out due to a turn, you least expect to see that a family car can crawl out from the lane. However, according to the contours, this is not even a station wagon in the full sense of the word, but rather a stretched five -door compartment, a new home suit, which the Swedes have hidden on their technological flagship.

If you undress the Scandinavian handsome man, it turns out that under the new suit a little a fluent in the Swede is hiding the twin Volvo S60. The same motors, chassis, revolutionary set of innovative safety equipment and the most insightful in the world of serial automotive auxiliary electronics, allowing Volvo to independently maintain a distance, slow down in traffic and pass pedestrians at speeds up to 35 km/h. The theoretical part of the acquaintance with the V60 threatens to turn into a children's game: Find 10 differences. Therefore, we plunge into the inner world of the new Volvo.

The volume of the cabin in comparison with the S60, of course, has grown, but it seems that most of the space is given to the rear passengers. The spaciousness of the second row is determined by the modest 430 -frail trunk is not the most common solution for the station wagon. In this model, the Swedes vaunted by the Scandinavian functionality, without thinking, sacrificed for the sake of sports and comfort. Moreover, if in the European version the emphasis is on the first term, then in the Russian modification it moves towards comfort. Not counting the Volvo Four-C, V60, which is proposed as an option, is available with two chassis options: comfortable, which will become basic for Russia and dynamic to Europeans, and we also have accessible as an option.

S60 genes turn the sports wagon built on its base into the most sports station wagon, which has ever left the Scandinavian conveyors. The selection of power units, at least those that will be available in Russia at first, is also similar to the S60: four gasoline engines with a capacity of 150 to 304 liters. with. and a 205 -horsepower d5 diesel with a torque of 420 nm. The most dynamic gasoline engine T6 accelerates the V60 to hundreds of only 6.2 s. As a result, the V60 road is not much different from the sedan. Unless the distribution of the masses has some influence on behavior in corners. The only thing that lubricates the impression not the most ideal manual transmission. Against the background of the general level of the car, the clarity of switching, to put it mildly, is not impressive. But, as in any Scandinavian fairy tale, there is a magic elixir in the form of a 6 -speed automatic or a super -constructed PowerShift box with two clutches from the mechanical spleen.

To include station wagons in the list of available models to the developers of the legendary game Need for Speed \u200b\u200bis still too early, but the first step towards this and I must say very confident, Volvo V60 has already done. Perhaps even Nuvolari he would like!


Adaptive cruise control slows down and accelerates the car when moving in the stream. Smoothly

The SITY Safety system tlits the car until a complete stop at speeds up to 30 km/h. Hard

The pedestrian recognition system is able to prevent a run at speeds up to 35 km/h. Freshly


Driving
For the station wagon, it is controlled very sharply. On the road, it behaves almost the same S60.

Salon
Spacious and highly thought out. Not the largest trunk compensates for the functional transformation system.

Comfort
The Russian version with a comfortable suspension promises to be a little softer than a sports European.

Security
It has no analogues in the classroom.

Price
Unspecified.


Advantages and disadvantages
+ Decent dynamics, excellent handling, minimum vibrations, a comfortable variable salon.
- A modest trunk, not the most optimal manual transmission.


Specifications
Mark and model - Volvo V60
Dimensions - 4628x1865x1484 mm
Engine - gasoline, 1999 cm3, 203 l. S./6000 min--1
Transmission - mechanical, 6 -speed
Dynamics - max 235 km/h; 7.9 s to 100 km/h
Competitors-Audi A4 Avant, BMW 3-Series Touring, MB C-SLASS T-MODEL


Our opinion
In Russia they do not complain of half -hearted decisions. surrounded by a more capacious V70 and sophisticated S60, the V60 universal compartment is not in the best position. On the other hand, young active families living in the suburban cottages of two capitals are unlikely to find the best combination of dynamics, security and functionality on the market. It is they who will compose the main army of consumers V60.


Author: Vladimir Makkaveev

 

Source: Magazine 5 wheel [December 2010]