Volvo Canada has released pricing on the very stylish 2011 S60 and it will start at $45,450. That’s a lot of dough, but remember this is the top of the line T6. When compared the BMW’s 335i, the S60 T6 is a full 5 grand cheaper. Less powerful trim levels are likely to follow down the line as well. Volvo has a habit of introducing the top of the line trim levels first.
The T6 will get a turbocharged inline six cylinder engine capable of producing 300 horsepower and 325 pound feet of torque. Since the S60 has always been front wheel drive, that is an excellent recipe for torque steer, so to combat that, Volvo is making all-wheel drive standard on the T6. Sounds pretty sweet, right?
Well, here’s the bad news. Volvo has no plans of offering a maual transmission with this set up, at least not initially. That means it’s up to the consumer to make a fuss about it and demand that a manual option will be available down the line. That’s what happened with the previous generation M5, remember? It was initially offered with automatic only, but then everyone complained and BMW then fitted it with a manual.
On top of all that, you’re going to get all the safety stuff that Volvo is known for including Volvo’s City Safety which is capable of stopping the vehicle by itself if it detects and immanent crash. This technology was first introduced on the XC60.
[Volvo Canada]