“Downsizing” is a word so often used these days by manufacturers that the lack thereof in a press release may lead you to think the carmaker in question is behind the times… A company that certainly isn’t, Volvo, has wholeheartedly embraced downsizing.
Its new 2,0-litre, four-cylinder engine range is dubbed Drive-E. These turbopetrol and turbodiesel engines share up to 75% of their parts, 25% being common parts and 50% being similar parts. The rest is obviously unique to each engine. They’ll be installed across the S60, V60 and XC60 ranges.
The engines’ commonality means the production process can be slimlined. Yes, this approach is not unique to Volvo, but it shows the emphasis the Swedish carmaker now puts on bringing competitive engines and cars to the market.
Before we delve deeper into the T5 model I drove, we also had some time to experience the new D4 engine in both the XC60 and V60. Apart from the improved fuel consumption and torque rich nature of the engine, what stood out was how quiet the D4 is. In fact, it often felt like a petrol engine in terms of its noise-suppression qualities. It’s the best choice if you want a totally effortless driving experience.
V60 T5 Geartronic
First the facts. The 60-ranges have not been facelifted. The most recent facelift occurred late-2013 when we drove the updated models. The main focus now for Volvo is on its Drive-E engines which have now been installed in the 60-range.
I decided to focus on the practically-minded V60, the model which most accurately sums up Volvo’s family-focused ethos. In T5 trim, the 2,0-litre engine develops a healthy 180 kW and 350 N.m. They’re good numbers, but the T5 is tasked with powering a rather heavy car. It does a superb job, however.
On the move, you notice the (optional) steering wheel-mounted paddles, which allow the driver the flick through the new Aisin-Warner eight-speed transmission. Although you rarely need to select gears yourself, it is comforting to rather use these paddles than taking your left hand off the wheel to bump the gearlever up and down the ‘box, as you had to do previously on these models.
The transmission allows the T5 engine to sit at just 1 800 r/min at an indicated 120 km/h. It’s impressively low for a 2,0-litre petrol engine. Does it ever feel as if there are too many gears in the transmission? Not really; this transmission changes gears with ease and sometimes you don’t even notice that it has gone up or down a gear. However, even when you push the gearlever to the left to select sport mode, the gearshifts are slightly quicker, but not as quick as some competitors’ double-clutch transmissions. But then again, the Volvo is built to be a comfortable, safe vehicle, and that’s precisely what it is.
The engine is designed to deliver its 350 N.m of torque across a wide spread of revs. The maximum figure is delivered at a low 1 500 r/min, and then all the way up 4 800 r/min. This encourages you to ride the wave of torque, since there is little benefit in revving it all the way to the red line.
What next?
A spokesperson for Volvo admitted that the company’s tuning division, Polestar, is already busy developing these engines (including the turbodiesel derivatives) to see what level of performance it can extract. The fettled powertrains will find their way into a range of Volvos soon.
*Specifications
Model: Volvo V60 T5 Geartronic
Engine: 2,0-litre, four-cylinder, turbopetrol
Power: 180 kW at 5 500 r/min
Torque: 350 N.m between 1 500 and 4 800 r/min
0-100 km/h: 6,4 seconds
Top speed: 230 km/h
Fuel consumption: 6,2 L/100 km
CO2: 144 g/km
Price: R449 000
Maintenance plan: 5 years/100 000 km
Service intervals: 20 000 km
*According to Volvo
