With a total of 238 efficiently produced horses from its turbocharged petrol engine and 68 more of them from an electric motor, the Volvo S60L plug-in hybrid promises to be fast, spacious and highly efficient, as it prepares to make its debut at the Beijing motor show later this month.
Set to be launched in China in 2015, the model boasts emissions as low as 50 g/km CO2 and an equivalent fuel efficiency figure of 2 l/100 km or (117.6 mpg US/ 141.3 mpg UK), while being able to sprint to 100 km/h or 62 mph in just 5.5 seconds.
This, however, is only achievable when the car is in the sportiest of three available settings (called “Power”), all of which “give the car three entirely different temperaments.”
The S60L plug-in features all-wheel drive that comes with lightning-fast response courtesy of the instant-acting rear-mounted electric motors.
Maximum range is about 1,000 km (about 620 miles) in the most efficient driving mode (“Hybrid”). The car also has a “Pure” (electric) mode and draws its juice from the 11.2 kWh battery pack that’s mounted low in the boot floor. Without the petrol engine spinning but with a full charge (takes under 5 hours) the electric-only range is 50 km or 31 miles.
The body of the S60L plug-in sits lower than that of the regular car and rides on seven-spoke wheels with unique blue detailing. The same theme is applied to the interior that “features hazel-brown leather with contrasting stitching on the seats, steering wheel, instrument panel and door panels. Chrome detailing and a blond colour theme above the belt line enhance the luxurious feeling.”
By Andrei Nedelea
PHOTO GALLERY
