2012 Volvo S60 Preview

Volvo S60 is the second year of a stylish redesign, supported by new Chinese owners. Packaged in a slinky coupe-like profile, the S60 is Volvo's adult sports sedan, a quirky alternative to the snobby German competitors.

Visually, his features of the S60's fashionable oblong, resembling those recently given to the updated C30, while the tail has a nice fastback design. The interior combines traditional Volvo's stoicism with an Audi-like flair and an excellent center stack control ergonomics.

Three engines are offered a front-wheel drive T5 with 250 hp 2.5-liter 5-cylinder turbo, the T6 all-wheel drive with a 300 horsepower turbocharged 3.0-liter 6-cylinder, and T6 AWD R-Design with a high-output 325 hp turbocharged, 3.0-liter 6-cylinder. All engine configurations come with six-speed automatic electronically controlled Volvo.

Predictably, Volvo has also gone all-out in the security arena, offering its sports sedan with advanced technologies, including City Safety and Pedestrian Detection - both of which lead to automatic braking in an emergency - and a 180-degree front mounted video camera. The S60 is a solid start for Volvo when it starts the future under Chinese ownership.

Volvo upped the ante for 2012 sport with the introduction of the all-wheel drive T6 R-Design, with 325 horsepower and 354 lb.-ft. a torque of a turbocharged six-cylinder in the T6 model. The S60 T6 also sees a flurry of special exterior and interior design cues, including 18-inch wheels.

The S60 is Volvo's most dramatic step away from the "boxy" design heritage and towards a flamboyant new design philosophy. The S60's nose is similar to that of the newly redesigned C30, while the profile is a unboxy, sweeping and dramatic arc. Think fastback.

Inside, you'll be treated with two easy to read meters in the simple instrument bin, and extravagantly carved chairs are topped with scythe-like head. The atmosphere of the Swedish elegance is enhanced by the deposit available "Urban Wood".

All S60 variants are capable of sub-7 seconds 0-60 mph time, and the most powerful version - the T6 AWD R-Design - get to highway speeds in only 5.5 seconds. The front-drive T5 is the most pedestrian of the bunch, but the all-wheel drive T6's, with an improved suspension, the aggressive sport-tuned models lovers would like.

The S60 is an IIHS Top Safety Pick for 2012, with a 'good' score in the front, side and rear impact, plus standard stability control. Besides the abundant airbags, anti lock brakes and other safety systems, in 2012, the S60 also offers advanced systems, such as City Safety and Pedestrian Detection, both designed to prevent accidents by stopping the car at low speed collisions.

Body: four-door sedan

Engines: 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-5, 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6

Transmission: six-speed automatic

Models: T5, T6 all-wheel drive, all-wheel drive T6 R-Design

Front Wheel Drive: 20 mpg city/30 mpg highway

AWD: 18 mpg city / 26 mpg highway