What is it?
Volvo S60 Performance Concept
What's special about it?
Immediately after Volvo launched the S60 Sedan to fit between its S40 and S80 Sedans, it unveiled the S60 Performance concept, a 300-horsepower road-ripper with attitude to burn.
Despite the creation of the racy-for-Volvo C70 Coupe and Convertible several years ago, it was hard to believe this S60 came from Volvo. From its low-slung body, iridescent paint, 19-inch alloy wheels taken from Volvo's British Touring Car Championship S40, and its suede and aluminum interior, the S60 Performance concept is meant to demonstrate the great motoring feats of which the Swedish manufacturer is capable.
Not all the changes are as obvious though. The S60 Performance is equipped with FOUR-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept), a new damper system that continuously (500 times a second, to be exact) monitors the position of each wheel and then makes adjustments to maximize control. The driver can select from three settings via a dash-mounted button: comfort, sport and advanced sport. Comfort provides the most smooth and quiet ride possible, advanced sport provides as firm a ride as possible for road feel and handling, and sport provides a blend of both.
It is also equipped with Volvo's Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) to help avoid skids and loss of control. And, to top it all off, the S60 Performance is fitted with electronically managed four-wheel drive, a system developed in concert with Swedish-based four-wheel-drive experts Haldex. The four-wheel-drive system works in concert with FOUR-C and DSTC to provide the optimum combination of performance, stability, control and safety. Safety? Yep. It is a Volvo, after all.
Why should you care?
The Volvo S60 Performance concept shows a commitment by Volvo, previously the maker of "boring, safety-conscious boxes" to make driving exciting and safe. Kind of like if your parents gave you money and contraceptives before your high school prom. Exciting, huh?
-- Neil Dunlop
Add A Comment »