CKD Volvo S60 T4 and T5 launched – RM220k and RM255k

CKD Volvo S60 T4 and T5 launched – RM220k and RM255k

AUGUST 16, 2011 AT 10:25 PM BY DANNY TAN FILED UNDER CARS, LOCAL NEWS, VOLVO

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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