Recently in Volvo Category

The Garage Blog have published a review of the Volvo C70 convertible. 'The C70 is offered in the US and Canada with one drivetrain only. A 2.5L turbocharged inline five delivers 227hp, coupled to a five-speed automatic. This is the same drivetrain in the Volvo C30 that The Garage reviewed earlier this year. While we were a bit underwhelmed with the C30, the drivetrain suits the C70′s personality perfectly. You have power available whenever you need it, but no one will mistake the C70 for a sports car. We enjoyed our C70 over a balmy Fourth of July weekend where I live in coastal Connecticut, and it was the perfect car for top down cruising and good fun.'

Paul Tan have published their review of the Volvo S80 Turbo sedan. 'The S80 is a significant car for Volvo. The first generation S80 made its debut more than ten years ago as the first Volvo to ditch boxes for curves, and the marque's design department hasn't looked back since. Today, with its latest models like the XC60 and the new S60 (to be launched here later this year), Volvo is a fully paid up member of the Scandinavian brand of industrial design alongside the likes of Ikea and Bang & Olufsen. But while sleek and neat, this generation of S80 never had a strong presence to this writer, looking more like a more bloated version of the old S60.'

Inside Line have published their "test driven"review of the 2011 Volvo S60 T6 AWD. 'The 2011 Volvo S60 had a rather strange conception. Designed in an interregnum between Peter Horbury's first and second stints at the helm as Volvo's design director, the S60 actually was penned by Steve Mattin, the British designer responsible for the original Mercedes A-Class and the pre-face-lift version of the current-generation Mercedes SL. Horbury was busy running Ford's North American design team at the time, but returned to Volvo after Mattin left last summer. This game of musical chairs has left the S60 in a strange position. It is supposed to establish a new design vocabulary for the brand, but some of those cues might.'

A review of the 2011 Volvo C30 T5 R-Design has been posted over at LeftLane. 'Slotted below the S40 sedan and V50 wagon, the C30 takes its general flair from Volvo's iconic P1800 ES three-door wagons that debuted back in 1972. Those shapely wagonbacks only lasted for two model years, but their legacy has made them cult collector's items. The C30 was first introduced to the United States as a 2008 model (small car-friendly Canada got it a few months earlier as a 2007). Quirky and unique from the tail end, the C30 was virtually identical to the much more sedate S40 up front. To rectify this stylistic confusion, Volvo gave the C30 a far more daring front fascia for 2011.'

The Garage have published a review of the 2011 Volvo C30 R-Design. 'The C30 occupies a small market niche known as the "small premium car", shared with the VW GTI and Mini Cooper S, but the C30 stands out in this class. While the GTI and Cooper S start out as sub-$20,000 cars as the Golf and base Cooper, the C30 starts around $25,000. One look at the C30, and it is evident that unlike the competition, this car was conceived as a premium sport coupe first, not basic transportation with added flair. While style is subjective, I will argue that of the three cars, the C30 is best dressed for the role it was designed for. The full body kit, fat exhaust tips and 18″ alloys that come standard on the R-Design is icing on the cake.'

A review of the Volvo V50 2.0 has been posted over at PaulTan. 'The V50 appears compact, and studying the dimensions reveal that it's shorter than a Honda Civic. The Volvo is about the length of a 3-Series Touring, although the Swede's 2,640 mm wheelbase is a good 120 mm shorter than the BMW's. That doesn't sound promising, since the current E90 isn't exactly what one would call spacious at the back; in practice, legroom is far from generous but not constricting either, and there's room under the front seats for you to tuck your feet into. Typical of Volvo, seats are comfy and the rear bench features built-in child booster seats that pop up.'

DriveArabia have published their review of the 2009 Volvo XC60 SUV. 'The XC60 is powered by an unconventional 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-6 engine, mated to a 6-speed automatic with manual-shifting capability, and an all-wheel-drive system without low-range gearing. With 286 hp at 5600 rpm and 400 Nm from a low 1500 rpm, it isn't fast by any means, but it has a solid low-rev kick that makes it easy to jump into roundabouts and overtake on the highway. We got a reasonable 0-100 kph time of 7.8 seconds, although our average fuel consumption of 16.1 litres per 100 km is on the high side, especially for a compact crossover.'

MotorTrend have published their "test driven" review of the 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD SUV. 'We find the interior as stark and dark as an Ingmar Bergman film, though. The Volvo XC60 is more about exterior appearance and fairly rewarding on-road driving dynamics. That's a new, unusual thing for a Volvo, performance that matches the promise of its handsome post-boxy styling. With the XC60, Volvo may have found its calling, building right-sized crossovers packaged with modern Swedish design, and performance and handling that's more impressive here than in its sedans.'

A review of the 2009 Volvo XC70 T6 wagon has been posted over at SearchChicago.com. 'The XC70 is a formidable wagon with luxurious amenities, comfortably supportive seats, loads of safety features, a versatile cabin and all-weather capability thanks to a standard all-wheel-drive system. Visibility with XC70 is good because it sits a bit higher than a typical wagon, giving the driver a nice view of the road. Plus, wagons like the XC70 feature plenty of glass and that provides a good all-around view for backing in and out of parking spaces. The XC70 went through a major redesign last year and now Volvo has upped the ante with a new turbocharged T6 model for 2009. There are a few other revisions, too, such as making Bluetooth connectivity standard.'

Inside Line have published a review of the 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 6A). 'With a base price of $37,200, standard all-wheel drive, a 281-horsepower inline-6 and a six-speed automatic transmission, the 2010 Volvo XC60 is, on paper at least, right in the mix with the segment's big players. Its 109.2-inch wheelbase is marginally longer than the 108.5-inch wheelbase of the Mercedes-Benz GLK and just short of the Audi Q5's 110.5 inches.The Volvo's power plant, however, tops them both. Under the hood lies a transverse-mounted inline-6 utilizing a twin-scroll turbocharger and intercooler to produce 281 hp at 6,100 rpm and an even more impressive 295 pound-feet of torque at 1,500 rpm. The six-speed automatic with its manual shift mode offers up smooth, quick shifts and delivers power effectively via all-wheel drive.'