Is the 2011 Volvo S60 Ushering in a New Era of Sexy Swedish Design?

When Ford recently sold Volvo to Chinese automaker Geely, many auto industry pundits feared that it was signing the death warrant of this storied Swedish luxury brand. Despite an unparalleled reputation for safety, Volvo still remained on the outside of the party dominated by BMW, Lexus and Mercedes.

So if this was still true after all that Ford had invested then I, for one, had serious doubts that they could ever build a truly desirable luxury car. But much like throwing the "Hail Mary" pass to score the come from behind victory, Volvo has just unveiled its best new car to date-the 2011 Volvo S60.

Known as the very first "Naughty Volvo" in advertisements, the 2011 Volvo S60 is everything previous generations were not-exciting, sexy and fast. Sure, Volvo had some quick turbocharged vehicles in the past but none of their design or engineering works have come together as nicely as the 2011 S60.

At launch Volvo is offering only one engine and it is a turbocharged 3.0 liter 300 horsepower/325 lb. feet of torque six-cylinder. Notice that those power figures trump the BMW 335i? The Swedish model is also less expensive given the base price for this 2011 Volvo T6 model is $37,700. EPA estimates are 18 city/26 highway.

Later Volvo will introduce its smaller turbocharged 2.5 liter 250 horsepower/266 lb. feet of torque five cylinder motor as a base powerplant in the 2012 Volvo T5 bringing the base price closer to $30,000. Sadly for Volvo wagon lovers there will be no V60 imported to this country. That truly is a shame as we have seen photos of the new family hauler and it looks better than 90% of the SUVs out there.

Although I am not road testing the 2011 Volvo S60 until February there has been almost universal praise for the way this all-wheel drive turbocharged luxury sedan steers and handles. There is even an optional 3-mode adjustable chassis called Four-C that can firm things up should you decide to take your Volvo on a pleasure drive. Yes, I just said pleasure drive and Volvo in the same sentence.

The interior is pure Scandinavian simplicity and logic with the revised S60 boasting a real improvement in materials quality and trim choices. You can have an array of interior leather colors and various woods and metal trims that help dress up the minimalist functionality.

But since this is a Volvo there also has to be a safety advance included, right? They did invent the 3-point safety belt after all. This time, however, its pedestrians that Volvo is trying to save with its standard City Safety System which watches for pedestrians who walk in front of the car and engage the braking system all on its own. Yes, the 2011 Volvo S60 will stop all by itself without you even having to hit the brake pedal.

So the 2011 Volvo S60 is not only smarter than you but it is also probably a whole lot better looking now? Well, it also makes for a wise investment as Volvo now offers a 5 year warranty on mechanical parts, wear items and will also pay for all servicing within that time.

No one can beat the terms of this extra generous Volvo Safe + Secure Plan anywhere under any brand or at any price. So the real question becomes can you continue to resist the many charms 2011 Volvo S60?

Source: Volvousa.com