2003 Volvo S60R - And You Thought the S60 T5 was Hot!
Nobody questions the S60 on looks, features or build quality. Even in T5 guise it's a formidable stoplight champ, albeit somewhat hamstrung by torque-steer. An AWD version cured all that, but alas, it only came with the competent but less exhilarating 197-hp, low-pressure turbo engine. But soon there will be no need to complain.
Volvo has just announced that the 2003 S60R, a real-life version of the Volvo Performance Concept Car (PCC), will debut at the Paris Auto Show on September 26th of this year - a V70R wagon, based on the same technology, will also be shown. A twin-turbocharged, 300-hp 2.5 liter 5-cylinder should be capable of 0-100 km/h sprints of 5.8 seconds. Its 295 lb-ft of torque is available from a low 2,100 rpm, making the extra gear in its 6-speed manual gearbox hardly necessary, but fun to row through just the same - a 5-speed automatic with sequential Geartronic manual mode will also be available. All this power will get down to the road via an electronically controlled all-wheel-drive system, virtually eliminating dreaded torque-steer.
The S60R will feature an active suspension system, allowing either sports car performance or everyday driving comfort, depending on your mood. Three driver-controlled settings, Comfort, Sport and Advanced Sport, optimize the suspension. But that's not all. The Four-C system also incorporates precise monitoring equipment and ultra high-speed information processing, to read a variety of data on the driver's input and car's performance. Five hundred times per second, shock absorber settings are updated based on the feed of continuous information collected from seven sensors.