Volvo Upgrades S60, V70, XC70 Styling for 2005

As for the XC70, it receives new dark gray cladding, sideview mirrors from the XC90, as well as skidplates front and rear.

The tougher looking updated XC70 gets new cladding plus front and rear skidplates. (Photo: Volvo Cars of Canada)

The overall look appears tougher, more SUV-like, which should help it stand out more from its Volvo siblings and be more appealing to those who might be considering a rival crossover - and plenty of competitors are on the way.

All cars receive transparent lenses with visible bulbs added to the taillamp clusters, polycarbonate lens headlamps and flat-blade window wipers. A special sports package which includes 18-inch alloy wheels, high performance tires and a sporty visual ground effects kit is available for the S60 upon request.

Without extending into the R-series cars, Volvo's top performance-oriented cars are its S60 and V70 in T5 trim. This facelift not only upgrades appearances, but guarantees improvements in performance and

This facelift not only upgrades appearances, but guarantees improvements in performance and driving pleasure for the sporty S60 and V70 models in T5 trim. (Photo: Volvo Cars of Canada)

driving pleasure for these sporty models. The 2.3-liter high-output turbo inline-five has been enlarged to 2.4 liters, leading to a gain of 10 horsepower and 15 lb-ft of torque. Other improvements include the use of the R's more efficient turbocharger and varying inlet timing. While power is up, more important for daily driving is the amount of torque produced at lower rpms; at 1800 rpm the new T5 engine make 225 lb-ft of torque, a big improvement over the 177 lb-ft available previously.

A six-speed manual borrowed from the R and adapted to fit the front wheel drive T5 will now be available as well. With this transmission in the S60 T5, 100 km/h can be reached in as little as 6.5 seconds. Other motors have been improved too, with the 2.0T now making up to 180 hp and the 2.5T 210 hp.