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Volvo V60 PHEV 2011 review


You had to fight your way through a scrum to get into a few of the cars at the Michelin Challenge Bibendum green car summit in Berlin earlier this year. Porsche's electric Boxsters, the Monaco-bred Venturi supercar, Citroen Survolt and Peugeot EX-1 concepts were all mobbed. And so was a Volvo station wagon.

The drawcard was the V60 PHEV, the Volvo's prototype of what will be the world's first plug-in hybrid diesel-electric system. Even then, a single short run around Templehof airstrip didn't really give a thorough idea of what the vehicle was like - but we weren't game to risk bodily harm by hogging the keys.

However we've had a second, and slightly longer, chance with the vehicle at Volvo's Gothenburg headquarters in Sweden.

And while it was again in one of the prototypes - with some elements that will be changed for the final model - it gave us a clearer idea of what's in store for most aspects of the car, and Volvo's vision of a plugged-in future.

"Electrification is necessary to reach sustainable mobility," says V60 PHEV technical project leader Per-Arne Reinholdsson. "Volvo aims to secure a leadership position focusing on customer needs and lifestyle without compromising performance. The V60 PHEV vision is that it would be a real car that could be used without compromises."

VALUE

One unknown is the bottom line. While the V60 PHEV will go into production late in 2012 - initially for markets in Europe -- there's no confirmation yet of whether it will go no sale or be obtainable only as part of a lease program in its first years.

"The price will be higher than a normal car, but we are still negotiating to keep it down as much as possible," Reinholdsson says, adding that prices will improve over time as increases in production bring economies of scale.

The current V60 range starts at $54,950 here, and Volvo Australia believes that while the PHEV will be at a premium price when it arrives here in 2013, it will still be competitive at somewhere between $75,000-$80,000. "I think $80,000 will be the upper ceiling," managing director Matt Braid says. "But it's so much early days, that we haven't even had discussions about material costs for the technology that we can base our price on."

With no other plug-in diesel hybrid around, we can't really make a close value comparison for the Volvo, except to shop it against other medium-sized diesels - including its own V60 D5 at $60,950.

Other choices in terms of practical space, upmarket fit-out and frugal engines include the 5.4L/100km BMW 320d at $62,600 – although it’s looking very tired – and the 5.5L/100km Mercedes-Benz C200 CDI Avantgarde at $67,150. But if you can stretch to $69,900, there’s the powerful and frugal 5.3L/100km Mercedes-Benz C250 CDI Avantgarde, which is proof that you can have it all, if you’re prepared to pay for it.

TECHNOLOGY

The V60 is powered by a 160kW/440Nm 2.4-litre five-cylinder turbodiesel driving the front wheels, with the rear wheels driven by a 52kW/200Nm electric motor that draws its power from a 200-cell 12kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

It's operated via a six-speed automatic transmission and three driving modes - offering what  Reinholdsson refers to as "three cars in one" -- depending on how frugal or feisty you're feeling.

The electric-only Pure mode will give a range of 50km and fuel economy and emissions of, well, zero. In this mode, the system conserves electric charge by fending off 'drains' like airconditioning. Hybrid mode has a less stringent attitude but aims for overall efficiency.

Largely alternating between the electric motor and the diesel engine, the range will be 1200km, but Volvo claims that in normal combined driving, the fuel economy will still be a miserly 1.9L/100km with CO2 emissions of just 49g/km.

Power mode pulls in combined extra help from both the diesel engine and the electric motor's push to the rear wheels, delivering a total output of 212kW - and a 0-100km/h time of 6.9 seconds with a top speed of 200km/h, Volvo says. However they haven't been able to tell us the fuel economy and emissions for this mode.

The car can be charged in 4.5 hours with a 10-amp household socket, with that time cut to three hours with a 16-amp supply. The battery pack has an integrated cooling system - which operates during charging to optimise the 'refuel' and longevity - with a computer system monitoring the temperature and charge in each of the 200 cells.

DESIGN

It looks like any other V60, except for the charging socket behind the front wheel - on the left-hand side for the initial roll-out, but likely to be offered on the right-hand side for our market.
With the diesel engine driving the front wheels, the weight of the two battery packs and the electric motor is distributed through the centre tunnel area and under the boot floor - which has been raised about 6cm to accommodate it.

However, the system adds about 300kg in the prototype, although Volvo says some optimisation work should reduce this for production. The only other external difference on the prototype was the addition of 'blades' to give a better aerodynamic flow over the wheels, reducing drag and aiding fuel economy.

The main changes in the cabin are the new instruments and switchgear to control the plug-in hybrid systems, with driving modes and levels of charge indicated by a refreshingly simple animation in the central cluster behind the steering wheel.

SAFETY

It's a Volvo signature to offer five-star safety, and they've gone to great lengths to ensure this one shouldn't be any different. That includes stringent consideration of what could happen in a crash to the heavy lithium-ion battery packs.

This has meant strengthened body structures to secure the pack and hold it separate from the fuel tank. They recently crashed a PHEV to demonstrate the ability to keep the pack - and its gases and 400 volts - contained, and are also training European rescue workers on how to approach a PHEV after a crash.

That new technology aside, you can expect the usual Volvo arsenal of airbags, safety systems, crash avoidance, pre-crash warnings and post-crash protection.

DRIVING

We're usually a bit skeptical about marketing-tinged statements like "three cars in one. But in this case, they're onto something. While you don't really feel the changes back and forth from electric to diesel when you're running at good speeds in Hybrid mode, what you can see is the differences between that and the other two modes.

Pure is very quiet except for the tyre roar and wind rush - although Volvo is working on amplifying the noise of the electric motor as a pedestrian safety strategy - with more relaxed steering and pedal characteristics.

Hybrid mode feels like a normal vehicle, albeit still a somewhat torpid and heavy one despite the wheel and accelerator maps hardening up. And while it's not transformed into a track day weapon, Power mode gives the PHEV a fairly satisfying response to the boot, with even sharper steering and throttle response - and the increased surefootedness of both axles coming into play.

However in every mode you're aware of the extra weight of the vehicle in every corner, and losing some of that extra poundage will be crucial to making the V60 plug-in a more comfortable drive - even a pleasure, with a bit more work.

VERDICT

While the prototype still has some issues, we can see where it's headed - and what's headed our way. If the price is competitive and there's enough supply, we can see this being a winner.

VOLVO V60 PHEV

Price: from about $75,000
Engine: 160kW/440Nm 2.4-litre five-cylinder turbodiesel 52kW/200Nm electric motor and 12kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
Transmission: six-speed auto, FWD/AWD
Safety: five-star (est)
Thirst: 1.9L/100km; 49g/km Co2 (Hybrid
"Solid, sensible, signature Volvo. But a bit overweight at the moment."

$8,910 - $14,630

Based on third party pricing data

VIEW PRICING & SPECS

Score

3.5/5
Price Guide

$8,910 - $14,630

Based on third party pricing data

Disclaimer: The pricing information shown in the editorial content (Review Prices) is to be used as a guide only and is based on information provided to Carsguide Autotrader Media Solutions Pty Ltd (Carsguide) both by third party sources and the car manufacturer at the time of publication. The Review Prices were correct at the time of publication.  Carsguide does not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.