Eco-Impressive: The Volvo v60 Diesel Plug in Hybrid

While BMW and Volkswagen have recently released eco-friendly green car models, Swedish carmaker Volvo often stays in the game when it comes to automobile design. The release of their new R-Design for the hybrid v60 is case in point.

The v60 diesel plug-in hybrid touts some rather impressive numbers.

The front wheels are powered by a 215 horsepower four-cylinder turbo diesel engine, while the rear wheels have a 68 horsepower electric motor as the driving force. That’s more than 300 horsepower to amp up a vehicle that is actually 100 lbs. lighter than its predecessor all while offering improved fuel efficiency. The engine produces 280 lbs of torque. For those of us who live in Europe, the story gets even more exciting... reports of a combined 472 lb-ft of torque (the combined power of a five cylinder diesel and associated lithium ion powered electric motor) are popping up on Road and Track Magazine.

The 4 cylinder version touts 30 miles of all electric driving, and an impressive 131 MPGe (which, by the way, would outrank the recent BMW i3 ranking of the most efficient vehicle in the US with it’s EPA rating of 124 MPGe). Balancing out the power under the hood is a 2014 IIHS top safety rating. As you can see, the BMW i3 (below) looks awesome though.

The Volvo R-design package boosts the sportiness over the T6 Drive-E FWD. In addition to front and rear diffusers that make it appear more like a low rider, it features 18-inch “Ixion” wheels and lux black perforated leather on the interior.

So while there’s no major power upgrade in this design, it does tout the subtle additions so requisite of a luxury sports vehicle – and, until now, so obtrusively absent in their hybrid offering.

In it’s review of the new product, Cars.com wrote, “After enjoying the mass-market-friendly S60 T5, testing the T6 R-Design felt like over-indulgence. The S60 is an excellent all-around performer at an excellent price in the segment.”

Last year, the Swedish manufacturer sold nearly 8,000 of its V60 plug-in hybrids, which was impressive in and of itself.

However, with this newer, sleeker detail, the v60 R-design is a considerably more affordable option over the unprecedentedly desired Volkswagen’s MGP XL1 super-hybrid which comes with a $145,000 price tag. (The R-design will likely ring in just under $40,000.)

Could the weighty press gained by the XL1 (below) in the fall trickle down to this market segment and lure in more buyers to the Volvo alternative? It’s certainly a strong possibility.

Photo credits: Volkswagen UK; BMW USA