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2015 Volvo S60 T6 Drive-E

For those not paying attention, Volvo has updated its S60 sedan range for 2015 with a new range of engines under the Drive-E label. Wearing the same T5 and T6 badges to note the relative levels of power under the hood, both engines are 2.0-liter four-cylinders, with the lesser being turbocharged and the greater being both supercharged and turbocharged.
Both Drive-E variants are currently only available in front-wheel-drive flavor, though Volvo will still happily sell you an S60 T5 AWD with the older 2.5-liter turbo five-cylinder, or a top-of-the-line S60 T6 with a turbo'd 3.0-liter six-cylinder and all the wheels turning.
The car I drove for a week is perhaps the most balanced version of the S60 range, with that exotic sounding twin-charged 2.0-liter mill planted happily in the attractively sloping nose. Provided you're not hung up on front-drive dynamics, the T6 Drive-E might be a solid candidate for your next premium small sedan shopping list, as well.

2015 Volvo XC90 is the Swedish future

It's been months since the Concept XC Coupe debuted at the Detroit Auto Show, Volvo's last show car previewing its all-new 2015 XC90. But the production model is finally here after years of development, and it signals the future of the Swedish automaker with its Scalable Product Architecture modular platform and cutting-edge new engine family.
The 2015 XC90 carries all-new styling, but is still familiar up front, with the company's logo slashing diagonally through its prominent, upright grille. Like the concept, it carries T-Shaped LED running lights through the headlights. The company calls them the "Thor's Hammer" design, an evocative designation that we think is fantastic. Under that new front end is a choice of two quite powerful, but very efficient powertrains. The standard XC90 gets a 2.0-liter turbocharged and supercharged engine with all-wheel drive making an impressive 316 horsepower. Or if buyers want to be a little greener and more powerful, there is the XC90 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid with the same engine, albeit augmented with an electric motor to produce a staggering 400 hp.
The exterior styling is crisp, if not quite as sensual as Volvo's latest concepts, but we think the interior is the real star here, with a dashboard that looks like it came out of a Herman Miller catalog and a unique vertically oriented infotainment screen integrated into its center stack, perhaps taking a cue from Tesla. If the cabin feels as good as it looks, we think a lot of sales are going to be won inside.

Euro-market Volvo C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge add efficiency, range

Volvo's tweaked the powertrain specs for the C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge in Europe in both front- and all-wheel-drive trims. (We don't get the FWD versions here, only the AWD models.) First reported by CarsUK as a rumor, Autocar dug into the details after the new models hit some EU configurators. The big change there is that the front-drivers are now rear-drivers, engineers moving the single motor to the rear axle in the name of efficiency. The battery in the single-motor cars stays the same size at 67 kWh, but motor output rises from 228 horsepower to 235 hp. Even better, the C40 Recharge goes from an estimated 270 miles on a charge to 296 miles, the XC40 Recharge goes from an estimated 260 miles on a charge to 286 miles on the WLTP cycle. The AWD Recharge Twin trims get a larger battery, swapping the 78-kWh unit (75 kWh usable) for a 82-kWh unit (78 kWh usable). Their motors put out the same combined 402 hp as before, but do so with a rear bias. Instead of each motor making 201 hp, the front motor makes 161 hp, the rear 241 hp. Their ranges climb even more, the C40 gaining 37 miles of range to go an estimated 315 miles on a charge, the XC40 adding 42 miles to go an estimated 311 miles on the WLTP cycle. Volvo also upped the fast charging capability for the Recharge from 150 kW to 200 kW. The upgrade cuts the charge time from 10% to 80% by 10 minutes, to 27 minutes, matching the time required for the single-motor trims with the smaller battery to refill the same amount. The revised models can be ordered in Europe now but won't go into production until next year, the Recharge versions in May, the single-motor versions in autumn. Prices are up about 10%. It's thought the Polestar 2 will be in line for the same changes. We asked Volvo USA about the revisions coming to the U.S., aand  spokesperson responded, "We will have more details to share on the U.S. offer at a later date."