Visual, Interior and Suspension Tweaks Add To S60's CharacterTwo years ago, Volvo gave the S60 and its station wagon siblings,
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| Another update for the S60, but this time it's about lookin' cooler and cornering harder. (Photo: Volvo Cars of Canada) |
the V70 and XC70 a mild facelift. It featured minor adjustments to the nose and tail to clean up its look, and a couple of new technologies including a blind spot sensor and adaptive dampers, but the primary focus of its first update was to give it a more upscale feel with improved materials that made the car feel at home against upmarket rivals. We're talking about more leather, higher quality inlays of aluminum and wood and better plastics for the dashboard and doors. Mission accomplished: today's S60 is as popular as ever, and has helped Volvo to maintain the status of Sweden's premiere luxury carmaker.
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| Body kit includes the valance, but not the optional rear spoiler. (Photo: Volvo Cars of Canada) |
years on, Volvo is back at it again preparing another update, but this time around it's only for the S60, and the emphasis is on creating a visual promotion to the car's performance and athletic nature. As seen in the photos here, the '07 S60 is available with an optional sports body kit that includes new body-coloured front and rear valances and side skirts. This option bridges the visual gap between the standard S60 and the high-performance 300-horsepower S60 R, and therefore should be popular with the 260-horsepower T5 model. Other snazzy exterior visual upgrades include an available rear decklid spoiler (pictured), three new alloy wheel choices ranging from 16 to 18 inches in diameter, and three new colours: Electric Silver, Maple Red and Orinoco Blue.
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| Aluminum is used all over the cabin, from the dash trim, to the instruments, to accents on the steering wheel. (Photo: Volvo Cars of Canada) |
the exterior, similar upgrades can be found inside the S60, highlighting its sporty nature. For instance, a special type of aluminum surfaced with a 3D technical grid grain is used on the dash and door trim, while aluminum brightwork has been applied to the steering wheel, heating vent trims and stalks. New instruments with metal-look faces are also on the menu; previously, similar gauges were used only on the top of the line S60 R and flagship S80. Other changes inside include the option of a perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel, an electrochromic rearview mirror with compass, and contrasting stitching mirrored by contrasting leather inserts for the sports seats.
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| New grille is for all models, while adaptive xenon headlamps will be an option. (Photo: Volvo Cars of Canada) |
in the shadow of the sporty body kit are some physical exterior changes which will be applied to all models. Firstly, there's a new, chrome-plated, egg-crate-style grille that is slightly larger in size, which bears the classic iron element logo. Also new are side view mirror-mounted turn signals, and optional computer-controlled Adaptive Bi-Xenon headlamps that swivel, allowing for greater illumination and therefore safer driving around corners. In order to back the performance and the sporty appearance of the revised exterior styling, Volvo tweaked the chassis settings. New, firmer shock absorbers and springs, as well as new suspension bushings and sturdier anti-roll bars give the car up to 25 percent greater resistance to roll.
The updated and sportier 2007 Volvo S60 will go on sale this fall, coinciding with the launch of the updated XC90. Pricing has yet to be announced, but expect a marginal increase.
