Volvo Cars Malaysia today introduced the new V60, with two locally assembled variants being available, the T4 and T5. Both feature Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection (GTDi) petrol mills, the T5’s coming in 2.0 litre form, while the T4 sports a 1.6 litre lump. Numbers for the T5 are 240 hp at 5,500 rpm and 320 Nm of torque, available from 1,800 to 5,000 rpm, as well as a 0-100 km/h time of 7.7 seconds and a 230 km/h top speed.

The T4, meanwhile, offers 180 hp at 5,700 rpm and 240 Nm from 1,600 through to 5,000 rpm, with an on-demand overboost function taking it to 270 Nm – the car does the century sprint in 9.2 seconds and has a 220 km/h top speed. Both variants wear a six-speed Powershift auto tranny.

Many elements from the S60 are to be found on this one, so in terms of kit and features there are really no big surprises. Exterior design-wise, the company is suggesting the V60 as a coupe-like form rather than an outright estate, saying that from a design viewpoint, the focus was on making the car as close to a coupe as possible, while retaining that handy extra space at the rear.

Standard equipment includes leather seats and steering wheel (the one on the T5 gets a silk metal inlay), roof rails, Shimmer Graphite inlay décor trim and an eight-speaker, four-channel amplifier setup – on the T4 the entertainment system is CD-based, with a 5-inch integrated colour screen, while the T5’s does DVDs and comes with a 7-inch screen, replete with a navigation system.

Both variants come equipped with 17-inch alloys, the T4 getting Balder design wheels and 215/50 series rubbers, while the T5 has Njord wheels, wrapped with 235/45 profile donuts.

Plenty in the way of safety-related kit, with the usual assortment of three and four-letter acronyms to be found – there’s DSTC with ASC and CTC, ABS, EBD, ready alert brake (RAB), fading brake support (FBS), hydraulic brake assist (HBA), blind spot information system (BLIS) and active bending lights (ABL) among the mix.

The T5 features Adaptive Cruise Control with queue assist and distance alert, as well as a Collision Warning System with full auto brake and Pedestrian Detection, while the T4 makes do with cruise control.

Five exterior shades are available for the V60, and these are Electric Silver, Ember Black, Ice White, Seashell and Flamenco Red. The V60 T4 goes for RM230,000, while the T5 version is priced at RM269,000, both prices being on-the-road, without insurance.

First, there was Naughty. And now comes Wicked. Volvo’s S60 won’t be the only mischievous Swede in town come next month, because the V60 wagon is set to join the fray. On January 11, specifically. A teaser image of the car in partial silhouette form is to be found on Volvo Car Malaysia’s Facebook page, highlighting the arrival date.

No details as yet on the estate, which made its debut last year, so it’ll have to wait until launch time to see if it starts off as a CBU or directly as a CKD, in 180 hp 1.6 litre T4 or 240 hp 2.0 litre T5 form, or both. Then, we’ll find out just exactly how wicked Wicked is.

UPDATE: Live gallery from the event added

Volvo Car Malaysia officially launched the locally assembled Volvo S60 this evening. The CKD S60 comes in two engine variants, a T5 and the new T4. When the S60 was launched back in April, there were two CBU variants offered – the 3.0 T6 AWD and the 2.0 T5. With the new CKD lineup, the range topping (and expensive) T6 is no more.

Both the T4 and T5 powerplants are from Volvo’s latest Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection (GTDi) four-cylinder engine family, and are part of the European downsizing movement, which can be summed up as: smaller cc + DI + turbo = more go and better FC.

The unit in the T5 is a 2.0-litre with 240 hp and 320 Nm of torque, pretty impressive figures that trump even Volkswagen’s TSI engine in the Golf GTI. The S60 T5 does 0-100 km/h in 7.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 230 km/h.

The T4 may be just a 1.6-litre unit, but with a turbo bolted on, it makes 180 hp and 240 Nm of twist from 1,600 to 5,000 rpm. An overboost function raises max torque to 270 Nm in spurts. That should mean that it will be fast enough for most (0-100 in 9.0s top speed 225 km/h), while costing just RM90 in road tax. Combined consumption is 7.4 litres per 100 km. Both engines are mated to a six-speed Powershift gearbox, so it’s all the latest tech in one.

Volvo bills the S60 as its “naughtiest car ever”, so it comes with “improved steering, stiffer springs and bushes as well as more damping than any previous model”. The mid sized exec also comes with Advanced Stability Control and Corner Traction Control, which is a form of torque vectoring. By the way, our market gets the ‘Dynamic’ spec instead of ‘Comfort’. Find out what we think – read the full test drive report here.

It ain’t a Volvo if it doesn’t come with a full house of safety kit. The T5 features Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake, which detects pedestrians in front of the car and automatically applies full braking power if the driver does not respond in time after being warned with light and sound.

‘Njord’ wheels for the T5 (left) and ‘Balder’ rims for the T4, both are 17in items

Full braking works at speeds of up to 35 km/h. Above that, it slows down the car as much as possible, which could mean less serious injury, or surviving the crash. Collision Warning with full auto brake does the same, but for cars in front.

Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist maintains a set gap to the vehicle in front and works from 0 to 200 km/h. This means that technically, the S60 T5 can “drive itself” in a traffic jam. City Safety and the blind spot warning BLIS are standard on the T4.

The S60 also comes with the new Volvo Sensus infotainment system, displayed on a 5-inch colour screen and accessible via steering wheel controls.

Five colours available, but signature Vibrant Copper has been dropped from CKD range

The S60 T4 is priced at RM220,000, while the T5 costs RM255,000 OTR without insurance. An accessory package worth RM10,000 will be thrown in the mix for the first 60 customers.

Live gallery after the jump. More pics from our test drive report can be viewed here.
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For those who have been dreaming of a Volvo S60 but found the current CBU prices a little too rich for their bank accounts, good news for you – locally assembled versions will be launched soon.

Two CKD versions will be on sale – the T4 and the T5. The Volvo S60 T4 will use a 1.6 litre inline-4 turbocharged direct injection engine making 180 horsepower and 270Nm of torque, mated to a 6-speed Powershift gearbox. It is rated to consume only 7 litres per 100km on a combined cycle. The estimated selling price for the CKD Volvo S60 T4 is RM220,000.

For an estimated price tag of RM255,000 you can get the CKD Volvo S60 T5 (down from RM288k for the CBU T5), powered by a 2.0 litre turbocharged direct injection inline-4 engine mated to a 6-speed Powershift gearbox. This engine makes 240 horsepower and 320Nm of torque. The T5 also includes the Pedestrian Detection. feature, which detects pedestrians who walk onto the road in front of the car and will warn the driver, and if necessary, apply full braking power if the driver does not respond in time.

Volvo Car Malaysia also says the first 60 customers who book their CKD S60 T4 and T5 from today will receive a special surprise. According to Volvo Car Malaysia president Goran Larsson, it will make the S60 look more stunning, so we’re guessing some exterior aesthetic enhancements like a bodykit or something.

Volvo Car Malaysia today introduced the Volvo S80 T5, which replaces the S80 2.5T as the flagship model in the country. Two variants of the form are available, these being the S80 T5 Powershift and the T5 Exclusive Powershift.

Both are powered by a four-cylinder 2.0 litre turbocharged mill making 240 hp at 5,500 rpm and 320 Nm of torque at 1,800-5,000 rpm, and the engine – which features direct injection and twin variable camshafts – is mated to a six-speed Powershift transmission.

Performance specs include a 0-100 kph sprint time of 7.7 seconds and a 230 kph top speed. Essentially, this is the same lump as found on the Ford Mondeo EcoBoost, with a higher state of tune (that’s available in other markets).

As befits the suffix (and additional price), the T5 Exclusive gets more in the way of kit and features. There’s Pedestrian Detection as well as new Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake, features that were unavailable in the previous variant.

The T5 Exclusive also features Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which activates at speeds above 30 kph to automatically adjust the car’s distance to vehicles ahead. The system is adjustable to five different time intervals to the vehicle ahead.

The variant also has Driver Alert Control and Lane Departure Warning as well as Active Bending Lights and Personal Car Communicator with keyless drive as standard items.

Safety features on both variants include Volvo’s Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) and a host of other acronyms, from ABS, EBD, EBA, SIPS, WHIPS, IDIS and DSTC right into RAB (ready alert brake) and FBS (fading brake support).

Inside, the T5 – which now comes wearing the Dynamic chassis – gets new design features, with the S80 T5′s leather interior being in grey with cross brushed aluminium inlays and the the T5 Exclusive’s in a grey/beige mix, with classic wood decor inlays, the last also to be found on the gearshift and steering wheel.

The car comes with an eight-speaker audio system, and additional features on the T5 Exclusive are a six-CD in-dash changer, Bluetooth connectivity and two rear sockets for headsets.

As for wheels, the S80 T5 runs with 16-inch Oden alloys and 225/55 series tyres, while the T5 Exclusive comes shod with 17-inch Cassini-design wheels and correspondingly-sized 225/50 rubbers. Price-wise, the S80 T5 goes for RM268,000 while the T5 Exclusive is priced at RM295,000, both on-the-road, without insurance.

Gallery after the jump.
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