Volvo XC60 Safe in the City

The XC60 continues the brands new angular, chrome-ringed makeover first seen here on XC70 and closely related to siblings Ford and its Kinetic design seen on Mondeo and the just-revealed Fiesta.

Its chunky, masculine appearance, powertrains and price tag place it directly in the path of the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz ML Class.
Volvo today confirmed that Australia will receive two of the possible three engines: a 210kW/400Nm 3.0-litre inline six petrol with twin-scroll turbocharger, or a 2.4-litre inline five-cylinder turbodiesel with 136kW/400Nm.

It funnels through a standard six-speed auto and to the floor via an on-demand all-wheel-drive system.

Safety is typically high, with stability control (DTSC), Roll Stability Control and Hill Decent Control for off-roading, and Trailer Stability Control which brakes trailers and caravans to prevent fish-tailing and jack-knifing.

It also includes a new collision reduction system called City Safety. Volvo has a lot to live up to in the safety department, both from its reputation and its manifesto, called 2020 Mobility. The marque aims to prevent death and serious injuries in its cars by the decade’s deadline, and City Safety is the first step  as a low-speed collision avoidance device.

If the driver does not react to an object directly in the cars path at speed, the car will brake to either avoid the object, or try to reduce the severity of the impact.

Prices will be forthcoming, when the SUV finally launches in early 2009.