Volvo DRIVe models

Volvo has now added the 1.6-litre turbo diesel engines into the new Volvo S60 and V60 now offers even greater choice for company car driver’s looking for low CO2 cars. Both the new cars are fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox and start/stop technology, plus the S60 DRIVe and V60 DRIVe now produce 114g/km and 119g/km respectively. Combined mpg is also excellent at 65.7 and 62.8.

These new 1.6-litre DRIVe engines both offer less than 120g/km, which means no road tax for the first year and also under current legislation, only £30 a year thereafter. For business users, this will be built into the Volvo contract hire leasing rental calculation already and we hope to load prices on the new models soon.

Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake

Volvo’s pioneering safety system, Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake, has won the Safety Award at the recent What Car? Awards. Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake uses a mixture of laser, radar and camera technology and recognises a human being above 80cm tall or a vehicle ahead and automatically brakes if it calculates an impending crash.

Initially you get an audible warning and flashing lights in the head-up display but if the driver does not respond the car automatically brakes with full force, just before the impending collision. The technology is also available with Volvo’s City Safety system which reacts if the vehicle in front is at a standstill, or moving in the same direction as one’s own car to prevent rear end impacts.

Originally launched on the new Volvo S60 it became available on the V60 sportswagon and is now available on the Volvo XC60. Volvo business contract hire is on the site now for all Volvo models.

New Volvo GTDI petrol engine

Volvo has announced it is introducing two new four cylinder 1.6-litre petrol engines ( T3 and T4) with Gasoline Turbocharged Direction Injection (GTDI) technology. The 1.6 GTDI T3 offers 150 PS while the T4 offers 180 PS and both engines will be available in the all-new Volvo S60 and V60 later this year.

Both engines will feature DRIVe fuel saving technology as well with the manual version offering a Start/Stop system that shuts off the engine when the car is standing still and in neutral. As soon as you press the clutch the engine restarts. The T4 engine will also be available with Volvo’s six-speed Powershift gearbox which combines the manual gearbox’s efficiency and driving dynamics with the automatic transmissions’s smoothness.