2011 Volvo V60 Sports Wagon launched in Australia

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By Brett Davis | March 29th, 2011

Volvo has just announced the launch of the new Volvo V60 Sports Wagon in Australia. The car slots in between the Volvo S60 sedan and the V70 wagon, presenting a funky, practical and spacious package.

As previously reported, Volvo Australia said it would launch the all-new model in Australia some time during the end of the first quarter of this year, and now it’s here. At the stage of our previous report, Volvo Australia had not yet finalised specific trim levels and engine packages that would be available to our local market, but now it’s all been announced.

The Volvo V60 Sports Wagon is available in three different variants, similar to the Volvo S60 sedan, meaning trim levels range from T5, D5 AWD and T6 AWD.

As with the Volvo S60 sedan, the T5 kicks off the range with a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine outputting 177kW of power and 320Nm of torque. The T5 is also matched to a dual-clutch Powershift transmission.

Next in the range is the D5 AWD. The D5 features a 2.4-litre, five cylinder turbo-diesel engine outputting 151kW of power and 420Nm of torque. The D5 uses a Geartronic automatic transmission with Sports mode. Power is then channelled through to all four wheels.

Topping out the range is the T6. This features the 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine which outputs 224kW of power and 440Nm of torque. Power is also sent to all four wheels after going through the six-speed Geartronic automatic transmission.

As with all Volvo cars, the V60 Sports Wagon is accompanied by an array of standard safety features, including Advanced Stability Control (ASC), Rollover Protection System (ROPS), Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) as well as Volvo’s City Safety and Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS).

On the comfort front, Volvo has fit the inside of the V60 range with a High Performance Sound system incorporating a colour five-inch screen as well as USB ports and an MP3 compatible stereo system. There’s also an optional High Performance Multimedia system which offers a seven-inch screen, 12 speakers and a DVD player.

Pricing for the Volvo V60 Sports Wagon range is as follows, excluding on-road costs:

T5, 2.0-litre, four cylinder, Powershift – $54,950
T5 R-Design, 2.0-litre, Powershift – $59,150
D5 all-wheel drive, 2.4-litre, five cylinder, Geartronic – $60,950
T6 all-wheel drive, 3.0-litre, six cylinder, Geartronic – $67,950
T6 R-Design all-wheel drive, 3.0-litre, six cylinder, Geartronic – $72,150

JayC

Great value for money compared to it’s rivals.

James Cortez

You bet. BMW, Audi, VW, Merc are waaaaay overpriced and not worth it. I hope consumers realize it and volvo steals some sales from those 4 arrogant German car dealers downunder. Why I say “arrogant”. It’s because the price gaps between Volvo and those four in Europe / UK US / Canada are much smaller than they are in Australia.

I brought this up many times and received a comment that german cars cost more because of setting up their network of dealerships in Australia. Hell, so does Volvo.

t39

I do not think VW can be included into the overpriced group. For example, the V60 costs similar to 1.5 Tiguans.

I agree about overpricing of Merc, BMW and AUDI.

Martin

Yeah, I actually think VW have kind of reasonable pricing.

nickdl

Nice car. Who would have thought that Volvo could make one of the world’s best-looking wagons? The new S60 and V60 make it difficult to justify buying a 3 Series, C Class or A4.
Shak

Volvo have really created a true competitor for Ze Chermans.
The only thing worrying me about this car is how heavy they are. If im not mistaken, the S60/V60 is in the mid sized segment ala A4, 3 Series and C-Class, but when i saw the weights in the Wheels COTY issue, i was really astonished.

Karl

It’s still a Volvo

James Cortez

So what Carl? It’s still a volvo and it is still reliable buddy

Shak

Exactly, Carl what does it being a Volvo have to do with anything now. Volvo are much safer, produce Audi quality interiors and now drive just as bloody good as the Germans. And yes i have driven this car, and that is what surprised me, because it did not feel as heavy when i drove it.

ddd

Cant blame volvo drivers for being terrible any more….

they have all sold them and purchased CAMRYS.
Martin

ddd! I said the same thing to my friend the other week. Haha!
Karl

I was referring to the weight.
I’m a fan of late model Volvos.

andronicus

I do not think they are as reliable as they used to be.

My old man bought a brand new c30 T5 and had issues with it non stop. Im talking in and out of the dealership service department every 3 or 4 weeks. In the end he told the dealer he didnt want it anymore, Volvo flew an engineer out from Europe to look at it. He said the issue was something to do with the bearings inside the front right wheel assembly…after 4 weeks my Dad got the car back with an assurance from Volvo that it would never happen again……not 2 weeks later it was getting towed to the dealer where they offered to straight SWAP it for identical new vehicle.

My old man ended up telling them he doesnt want a faulty product, after about 2 months they refunded his money in full and he received a letter from Volvo in Sweden apologising for what had happened.
Later that week he walked into BMW, picked himself up the 3 series diesel in white with M package….couldnt be happier. Had it for 6 months….not a problem in the world.

All of this been said, I was extremely disappointed personally and it wasnt even my car. I am a big fan of the revival of Volvo and the T5 (when it was working) was beautiful to drive, lots of grunt but…..after what I saw my old man went through…I will never buy a Volvo.
You always hear stories about lemons out there but this was ridiculous and so much hassle. A damn shame.

Spook

“after what I saw my old man went through…I will never buy a Volvo”

I’m the opposite. After seeing how Volvo bent backwards to help your father, this will make me more likely to buy a Volvo. I’m sure most other dealers/manufacturers will keep trying to repair the fault until either it disappears or the customer gives up and gets rid of it. To offer to swap it for a new vehicle and even a refund speaks volumes about how serious they were about customer satisfaction. Pity about all the hassle though.

Duckula

I guess some people think that car design never got any better than a 2 door Gemini wagon…hahaha
Andrew of Melbourne

and your still a person Karl, cars change more than people.

Mark

Why did ford sell Volvo just when they where about to release a bunch of great cars?

matt

i dont think it matters… the 2.0 4 cylinder and “power shift” is obviously supplied by ford isnt it? one would presume ford are still making some money out of this car

Justin

What’s the little rectangle outlined thingy in-between the grill and the front right headlight????

JP

That is the sensor for the pedestrian collision avoidance system.
andronicus

The sensor is a unit that is built into the rear vision mirror and links up with another small component inside the grill.

What you are referring to is the tow area. Majority of newer cars have them. Its a little piece of the bumper you can push in the reveals the lug where you can clip a tow cable on.

Have a look at your car, as long as its not more than 10 years old Im sure it would have something similar. Usually they have a little indentation so you know where to push but not always.

andronicus

Have a look at the size of the rear view mirror assembly in picture 1 and 4. Thats where 95% of the equipment for the sensor safety feature is housed.

andronicus

Or do you mean the rectangle thing that is adjacent to the grill? The one on both sides???

If so, then they are the day time driving lights.

Sorry about multiple comments….really shouldve addressed this in one outing right.

Valet Dabess

the air vents above the centre console. it looks like they didn’t know where to put the other vent so they just put it where ever

Al Juraj

Hahaha. The centre vent seems out of place.

TonyB

Must agree with the comments about the vents. Its the one thing that looks unbalanced and out of place. Why they simply couldn’t copy the setup in the XC60 I don’t know.

Joe

Yes, a good looking wagon. It will be very interesting to see how the T5 performs and it’s fuel economy as the engine is the same Ford Ecoboost as is going to be fitted to the Falcon and it also uses the same Powershift DSG gearbox.

Even though Ford have sold Volvo they continue using Ford’s technology and this time Volvo are using Ford’s engine and gearbox rather than the other way round.
Peter

I saw one of these at volvo/jag yesterday in black, it looked amazing. It barely even looks like a wagon, those photos really dont do it justice. I wasnt as thrilled with the looks of the new s60 as I thought I’d be, but I’m sure I’ve never seen a better looking wagon.
Jimmy James

Fantastic effort from volvo. Will be excellent value… second hand…
Charles

Ugly front end!
Sammy

I just wish that front end wasnt so droopy, it looks like a fish in real life.
Smoothcall

Only 430l of boot space so it’s even smaller than the already small 3-series wagon. Looks nice though.
TonyB

Certainly on my short-list of my next car. Word to the wise for those interested in the D5 AWD version of either this V60 or the S60. You might want to wait until the 2012 models appear in 6 months. Indications are the D5 engine is getting a small boost in power/torque from 151kW/420Nm to 158kW/440Nm. More significantly, there is also a small improvement in fuel economy which should take the average fuel economy down below 7l/100km (currently 7.1 l/100km) and therefore qualify for a reduction in LCT – could be worth up to $4,000.
Octavian

It’s very safe and good value, for a European luxury car, but I’d still prefer a 3 series or an A4.
Jimmy James

R-design kit on the diesel would have been a worthwhile addition.
Ben

Quite nice really. Bring on the hybrid now. An extra 50kw and 200nm .. nice.

Would be reluctant to have a BMW or Audi again anyway.. Terrible quality experience personally and break downs. Was not happy.
Andrew of Melbourne

Brett an error in the pricing of the T6 spec which needs to be corrected. The 72k T6 is the R-design spec which is not shown and therefore both T6 specs read the same with different prices and therefore do not make sense.

http://caradvice.com.au Brett Davis

Cheers

Andrew of Melbourne

When can one expect to see a full review and drive of this new model now that its launch has been published?

M

Good news, as Volvo is one of the few true luxury car makers on earth today. You see, inside of a MB or BMW or whatever the 3 German automakers sell, thousands of buttons all over the center stack and steering wheel. They put them all there not because it’s necessary but simply because they want to look fancy, which suits the cheap taste of most luxury car buyers.

But Volvo don’t do this, although they know it’ll be much easier to make and sell their cars this way. Why? because they do sincerely care for the safety of drivers, unlike other “luxury” brands. They know too many things around the driver means a higher chance of failure to look ahead properly. So, when you look inside a Volvo, it could feel a little empty but that doesn’t mean it’s not as well-equipped as the German cars, it’s got just as much but just doesn’t like to show off. The result is, an interior like the V60′s which is simple yet elegant providing high level of comfort and cosiness. This has been Volvo’s tradition and I’m very glad to see they’re determined to keep it.
P of Melbourne

Well l purchased my first Volvo 4 weeks ago, a black V60 with options. Got a puncture on the weekend. Simple nail in the tread. Followed the instructions, goo did not work, call assist, waited 90 minutes to be told he had never seen the goo before, but that it clearly had not worked. Called for a tow truck, another 90 minutes, had to call a tyre outlet to plead for them to stay open as it was Saturday. They told me that they could not fix the tyre and did not have one in stock and had to order on. It is wed and still is not in. So the “safest” car has a puncture device that does not work & when approached Volvo rely on the fine print (legal department approved) of the device may not fix all punctures. So they will take over $70K but will take NO responsibility for stranding a new purchaser.
I have never felt as unloved as a customer.
Currently have a Passat, BMW & Audi in the fleet and the Passat is by far the best value for money and the best equipment offering as standard.

craig

When the S60 came out I rang a dealer in Sydney to ask about a spare wheel and he said it was only goo.I would love a V60 except for this, it is as bad as having runflats. Unbelievable for Australian conditions, although your experience could just as well be in the middle of the city – the goo doesn’t work and it’s a major hassle anywhere at anytime. The Passat and Mazda 6 are the only wagons that have a full size spare, the Liberty doesn’t anymore and neither does the imposter “Outback”.