Volvo Extends DRIVe Range, S80 and V70 get 1.6 Diesel, XC60 and XC70 Offered with FWD

At this year's Geneva Salon, Volvo will show off its new, environmentally-friendly DRIVe range that now includes the XC60 crossover, V70 and XC70 estates and S80 executive sedan. Just like the current DRIVe cars, C30, S40 and V50, the new eco-friendly variants of the XC60, V70, XC70 and S80 are equipped with a conventional diesel engine and manual gearbox optimized for low fuel consumption. These cars are also tailored specifically for low rolling resistance and reduced air drag.

Starting off from S80 and V70 DRIVe models, both vehicles are powered by the same 109HP 1.6-litre diesel engine and manual gearbox as the smaller C30, S40 and V50. The optimised powertrain helps Volvo's larger cars significantly cut their fuel consumption and CO2 emissions to 57.6 mpg UK (48.0mpg US or 4.9 lt /100 km) and 129 g/km respectively. Volvo has yet to release performance figures but don't expect to be impressed.

The extended DRIVe range also welcomes the introduction of front-wheel drive and a new 2.4D engine to the XC60 crossover and XC70 crossover estate. Along with a series of other measures, both the FWD XC60 and XC70 2.4 manage to achieve an average fuel economy of 47.1mpg UK (39.2mpg US or 6.0-lt / 100km ) with a CO2 figure of 159 g/km.

The new DRIVe models will be available across Europe by the summer of 2009 with further specification and pricing details being announced closer to the time of launch.

Model

Engine

Power Output

CO2

Cons. UK MPG

C30 Start/Stop

1.6D

109 hp/240 Nm

104 g

72.4 mpg

S40 Start/Stop

1.6D

109 hp/240 Nm

107 g

70.6 mpg

V50 Start/Stop

1.6D

109 hp/240 Nm

107 g

70.6 mpg

V70

1.6D

109 hp/240 Nm

129 g

57.6 mpg

S80

1.6D

109 hp/240 Nm

129 g

57.6 mpg

XC60

2.4D

175 hp/420 Nm

159 g

47.1 mpg

XC70

2.4D

175 hp/420 Nm

159 g

47.1 mpg