My son Dale and I about 9 p.m. on a recent cold night had parked and were out pushing a neighbor woman in her front-wheel-drive Hyundai from deep snow along the side of the street.
About the same time, my iPhone, left at home, was informing Jan and daughter-in-law Sandy where we were. The iPhone pinpointed on a map the address of where our car was parked, actually only half a block from home (we were driving toward home when we came across the car in distress).
The next morning, adding to the iPhone’s involvement in this automotive review, I parked the car in my driveway after a drive-through at a Starbucks, walked into our house and my phone beeped, then messaged me that “Your Volvo is unlocked.”
Not only was I able to lock and unlock the car from my phone, I could also remote-start the vehicle.
It is the 2015.5 Volvo V60 T6 R-Design Sportswagon featuring the Volvo on Call Smartphone App.
At the suggestion of Dan Lantowski, representing Volvo for Waggener Edstrom Communications, I downloaded the Volvo on Call app onto my iPhone shortly after the V60 was delivered to me. It (the app) allowed me to access a status overview of the vehicle and recent drives, determine its current position, and enjoy the aforementioned connections.
The arrival of the new V60 wagon in the past year is inspiring to the future of Volvo, which had been in somewhat of a slowdown mode since the Swedish firm was sold to China’s Zhejiang Geely four years ago.
I drove the V60’s initial offering last spring, a sleek, low-slung, front-wheel-drive T5 wagon powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine and 8-speed automatic transmission.
Showing up last week, though, with all-wheel drive and enhanced performance was the T6 R-Design with twin-scroll turboed inline-6-cylinder which “out-horses” the T5 by 325-hp to 240. Mated to the inline-6 is a 6-speed automatic transmission. With 354 lb.-ft. of torque, outstanding power is delivered, particularly with the steering-force level set on high and paddleshifters at hand in Sport shift mode. Handling is improved with a low-riding sport chassis, and acceleration and cornering are excellent.
All that power and yet the T6 carries a decent EPA fuel-mileage estimate of 19/28; my overall average was 22.8.
The R-Design package includes soft, stitched luxury leather seats. The center stack is angled toward the driver, controls within easy reach and storage behind and below the stack. Sensus Connect navigation/audio is highlighted with a 7-inch color monitor, with MP3, USB, Bluetooth and Sirius radio.
The rear cargo area provides 28 cubic feet of storage space. The review model had no spare tire; one is offered as an option, though it must rest in the cargo space.
Sticker price on the V60 T6 was $49,275; the lesser-equipped 4-cylinder model I drove last spring carried a price of $42,225.
Adding $1,550 to the R-Design’s price were heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel and windshield and heated windshield-washer nozzles. Blind-spot detection, cross-traffic alert, lane-change aid and front and rear park assist were added as options, though the vehicle had no rearview camera.
Volvo was founded in Sweden in 1924 by Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson; their first car, the 1,944-cc Jakob, was in production three years later.
Sales in the U.S. began in 1955, when the Volvo PV444 cars arrived in Los Angeles. In 1956, Volvo sold 5,047 cars here.
In 1958, Volvo invented the three-point safety belt, considered one of the most important safety features of all time.
Some of its better-known cars, after coming to America, were the P1800 coupe of 1961 and the 240 series, beginning in 1974. Some of those 240s, now 20 to 40 years old, are still seen about the streets of Denver.
Volvo, bought by Ford Motor Co. in 1999, was re-sold to Geely in 2010.
Here are the specifications for the 2015.5 Volvo V60 T6 R-Design:
- Capacity 5-passenger wagon
- Wheelbase 109.3 inches
- Length 182.5 inches
- Width 73.4 inches
- Height 58.4 inches
- Curb Weight 3,790 pounds
- Track 62.1 inches front, 62 rear
- Ground Clearance 5.4 inches
- Turn Circle 39 feet
- Drivetrain All-wheel-drive
- Engine 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6
- Horsepower/Torque 325/354
- Transmission 6-speed automatic
- Steering rack and pinion
- Suspension McPherson strut front and multilink rear
- Fuel mileage estimate 19/28
- Fuel mileage average 22.8
- Fuel Tank 17.8 gallons, regular unleaded
- Wheels 19-inch
- Tires Michelin 235/40R19
- Cargo Volume 28 cubic feet
- Warranty 4 years/50,000 miles basic, powertrain
Competitors Audi allroad, BMW 3 series, Subaru Outback 3.6R
Assembly Plant Gothenburg, Sweden
Parts Content Sweden 31%, Great Britain 18%, Japan 10%, U.S./Canadian 1%
Base Price of Lowest Model $35,300; Base Price of Review Model $45,150; Destination Charge $925; Sticker Price $49,275.