In most cases, opting for an all-wheel drive Volvo requires losing one of their new Drive-E four-cylinder engines in favor of the older five and six-cylinder units. That’s changing now that the company has added all-wheel drive to T6 Drive-E versions of the S60, V60, XC60.
Volvo announced today the -60 series cars would be available with the 2.0-liter turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder would get the all-wheel drive option as in the new XC90. Previously, the engine was only offered in front-wheel drive variants of the older vehicles, forcing you to swap it for the 3.0-liter turbo six that dates back to Volvo’s Ford era.
The new car continues to be rated at 306 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque, with emissions ratings ranging from 161 g/km on the S60, to 179 g/km CO2 on the XC60. In the U.S., the T6 models are rated up to 33 mpg highway on front-drive models, compared to 26 on models with all-wheel drive and the six-cylinder. An eight-speed automatic, replacing the old six-speed, is also part of the change.
It’s unclear when the Drive-E models will start coming with all-wheel drive, but expect it to slowly replace the older engine in 2016. That should mean the last chance to get an R-Design with the turbo six is approaching. There’s always the S60 and V60 Polestar with a more highly tuned turbo six, but that can’t be long for this world, either.
Still, the Drive-E engines are impressive in terms of power for their size and efficiency given their power. The six’s muscular character will be missed, but the new engines are a sign the downsized future isn’t so bad.
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