Heico Sportiv Tricks Out the All-New Volvo V60

Come later this month at the Essen Motor Show (26th November - 5th December 2010) in Germany, Volvo tuning specialist Heico Sportive will unveil its performance and styling bits for the Swedish automaker's all-new V60. The tuning program for the station wagon model carries the same upgrades as the S60 sedan.

On the styling side, the German tuning firm mounts a front spoiler on the original front bumper and a rear skirt with a diffuser that also houses the new tailpipes of the quad outlet exhaust. The menu also contains sport springs that lower the ride height and a choice of 18- or 20-inch multispoke alloy wheels.

Under the hood, there are various options, depending on the type of engine. For now, Heico Sportive offers a power kit for the 2.0 turbocharged gasoline unit, which adds an extra 47bhp and 50Nm of torque, and another one for the T6 engine that boost output to 330bhp and 460Nm. The tuning house said that further programs for the T3, T4 and T5 engine variants are under development.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Volvo UK Releases Prices on V60 Sports Wagon and R-Design Models

The new Volvo V60 won't be arriving in the UK before December, but today, the Swedish automaker released pricing and announced that it has begun accepting orders for the so-called sports wagon model.

In Britain, the V60 will be available in four trim levels and with a choice of petrol or diesel engines. Prices range from £23,145 for the 150PS T3 ES model, rising to £37,895 for the flagship 304PS T6 AWD SE Lux Geartronic Premium model. The spunkier R-Design models with styling and chassis upgrades will be available from £25,695.

According to Volvo, with the exception of the D3, all other V60s are priced £1,150 above equivalent S60 models.

At launch, two diesel and four petrol engines will be available to UK customers. The diesel range comprises of a 2.0-liter D3 unit producing 163PS and 400Nm, and a 2.4-liter D5 engine delivering 205PS and 420Nm torque.

The D3 engine returns 51.4mpg UK for the manual version (46.3mpg UK in Geartronic) and 144g/km of C02, while the D5 unit, 52.3mpg UK on the combined cycle (manual version) with CO2 emissions of 142g/km.

The entry-level petrol engine is a 1.6-liter T3 unit churning out 150PS and 240Nm. Available only with a six-speed manual gearbox, the T3 will return up to 42.2mpg UK on the combined cycle and emits 156g/km CO2.

Next up is the more powerful 1.6-liter T4 variant with 180PS and 240Nm, which is available with either six-speed manual or Geartronic transmission. The manual model goes from 0 to 60mph in 8.0 seconds and up to a top speed of 137mph, while delivering up to 42.2mpg UK with 156g/km CO2.

Further up the petrol range is the 2.0-liter T5 variant with 240PS and 320Nm torque. The T5 emits 189g/km CO2 in manual guise (194g/km Geartronic) and will return up to 34.9mpg UK on the combined cycle.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

FAIL No2: Volvo V60 Safety System Flub Ends with a Dead Dummy Named Bob

This is officially the second safety system demonstration in as many "Look at this!" announcements that has gone horribly wrong for Volvo. That's right, two. The first one was back in May and led to a new S60 estate crushing itself into the back of a truck - see the video here. This latest mishap occurred during a media demonstration to Australian journalists in Europe.

Now that the known-as-safe Volvo brand is officially owned by the Chinese, is this a sign of things to come?

The mechanism in question is part of Volvo's pedestrian avoidance technology, which makes use of cameras and radar in the nose of the vehicle to control the brakes and stability control system in order to reduce driver/pedestrian injuries. The object that the system was meant to detect was Bob the Dummy; as you can see in the vids below, it didn't detect a damn thing.

That's not to say the system is terrible; after all is said and done, it worked 75% of the time. Of the twelve runs, only one ended with Bob getting the full force of the Volvo unleashed on him, with the other two still being less than perfect. Some of the blame has been placed on a camera that doesn't work well in low-light conditions (infrared / night vision, guys?).

Volvo's Jonas Tisell, Active Safety Systems manager, told journalists, "The failure of the test was due to the dummy not being set up properly, therefore it did not give an echo enough for the system. So the dummy was not relevant in this situation." So...blame it on the dummy? And "not relevant"? How does being to blame (according to Volvo) translate as irrelevant?

More like Volvo just got caught with its pants down...again.

By Phil Alex

Via: Drive and Autoblog.com

Paris Preshow: New Volvo S60 and V60 R-Design

Volvo is trying to further enhance the appeal of its new 2011 S60 sedan and V60 station wagon models with the presentation of a new R-Design styling and handling package that will be available in autumn 2010. The Swedish firm's take on the BMW M Sport and Audi S-Line kits combines sporty visual upgrades inside and out, and a tweaked chassis for a sharper drive.

"These cars have been specially developed for buyers who want to put their very own stamp on their car," says Magnus Jonsson, head of Product Development at Volvo Cars.

"And with R-Design, we are attracting a younger target group. We expect that 10 percent of all S60 and V60 customers will choose the R-Design option on markets where it is available. We aim to win over one-third of these customers from competing brands."

On the outside, the R-Design treatment adds a front grille painted in glossy piano black, a more aggressive front bumper detailed in a matt black finish, a discreet boot lid spoiler (sedan) or roof spoiler (Estate) and a distinctive rear diffuser that houses twin exhaust tailpipes.

A new set of unique 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels shod in sport tires completes the list of exterior changes.

Moving into the interior, the package includes a pair of body-hugging sport seats up front, special leather/textile upholstery available in off-black and ceramic light, or in an all-black, both with contrasting stitching, plus an R-Design steering wheel, gear selector, sports pedals and floor-mats.

Underneath the sheetmetal, Volvo's engineers have given the S60 and V60 models stiffer springs (+15%) and bushes (+20%), a lowered ride height (-15mm), new monotube dampers at the back, and a strut brace under the bonnet.

Stefan Sällqvist, manager of vehicle dynamics at Volvo Cars says: "The challenge was to boost the dynamics without making the chassis feel raw. If the chassis is too firm, even smooth tarmac can feel bumpy. We wanted a distinct yet plush feel. The car now has a more solid feel to it, which in turn helps make the steering feel even more responsive with a distinctive contact with the road."

The R-Design package can be combined with all available engines, ranging from the 115HP DRIVe 1.6-liter diesel unit to a 3.0-liter turbocharged-six petrol with 304 horsepower.

Volvo Launches Limited Edition S60 T6 Design 330HP by Heico Sportiv

Hot on the heels from last week's presentation of Heico Sportiv's tuning program for the new S60, Volvo's European division today announced the launch of a limited edition version of the T6 sedan model, all spruced up by the tuning specialists at Heico Sportiv. Only 100 units of the Black Sapphire metallic special edition will be available in Europe, each priced at €63,968, equivalent to US$82,000. We assume pricing is for the German market, since Volvo did not get into any specific details.

If you've read about Heico Sportiv's S60 package in our previous post, then there's nothing really new to add other than that the Volvo limited edition gets a special plaque inside which identifies the specific production number of the car.

The factory-approved S60 T6 Design by Heico Sportiv receives an upgrade to the six-cylinder turbo petrol engine, offering a 26HP boost, from 304HP to 330-horsepower, while torque has also been improved to 460 Nm over 2100-4500rpm.

The engine is mated to Volvo's Geartronic transmission and according to the Swedes, the car accelerates from 0-100km/h (62 mph) in 5.8 seconds and reaches an electronically controlled top speed of 250km/h (155 mph).

The average consumption is 10.3 lt per 100km (22.8mpg US), which corresponds to CO2 emissions of 239 g/km (provisional figures).

To further improve handling on the T6 sedan that comes with standard all-wheel drive, the tuner fitted new sports springs which lower the car's ride height by 30mm.

Exterior goodies include 19-inch Diamond cut alloys shod in Pirelli rubber and a two-part front spoiler and rear diffuser bumper made of light plastic and carbon fibre. Inside, the Heico Sportiv version gains aluminum trimmed gear-knob and sport pedals.