VOLVO R-DESIGN GIVES S60 AND V60 KICK

R-Design is a kit pack designed to spice up the average Volvo product. Most models can be fitted with R-Design, from the C30 right up to the XC90 range. Now the new S60 and V60s are available with R-Design garb, straight off the factory line, turning really good-looking Volvos into spectacular pieces of eye candy.

“These cars have been specially developed for buyers who want to put their very own stamp on their car. And with R-Design, we are attracting a younger target group. We expect that 10% of all S60 and V60 customers will choose the R-Design option on markets where it is available. We aim to win over one-third of these customers from competing brands,” says Volvo Senior Vice President Product Development Magnus Jonsson.

Visually R-Design takes it to a different level by adding on a layer of excitement that Volvo as a brand just doesn’t have in plain clothes. While this is certainly changing with the new S60 and V60, the path is still long and uncertain. Thanks to R-Design, some of the rough patches can be covered, thus smoothing the journey.

Starting with the exterior where a new front bumper is installed. The grille is painted in glossy piano black with colour-coded components and some matt-finish details. Side profiles are highlighted by aluminium-coloured side mirrors and five-spoke 18-inch wheels. The single tailpipes on either side are surrounded by a sporty rear diffuser.

Inside life is a little more exclusive than before, thanks to what Volvo calls a special leather/ textile upholstery, a different steering wheel, R-Design speed dials, pedals, gear lever and other components.

Not content with cosmetics, the R-Design team also went to work with under-the-skin improvements, all aimed at matching the look with performance.

Says Stefan Sällqvist, manager of vehicle dynamics at Volvo Cars: “In the R-Design chassis we've sharpened the steering, the agility and the solid overall impression still further compared with the dynamic chassis in the all-new S60 and V60. The driving experience should be so connected and compact that it feels as though the car has been milled out of a single block of aluminium.”

Corner Traction Control is a new feature that uses torque vectoring to make for smoother cornering. The technology is a further refinement of the DSTC anti-spin system.

When taking a curve, the car's inner wheel is braked so more power is transferred to the outer wheel. This gives the driver a tighter line in the curve, with reduced understeering tendency, according to Volvo.

I haven’t driven any of the R-Design models but judging from a C30 R-Design I had a couple of years ago, naughtiness will undoubtedly be on offer.

Prices start at R332 600 for the S60 T3 manual R-Design and at R342 900 for the V60 T3 manual R-Design, and top off at R499 900 for the V60 T6 Geartronic R-Design.