Even on superficial inspection, it’s obvious that the engine in the Volvo S60 R is out of the ordinary. The characteristic R-blue colour is repeated in the engine and cam belt covers. The intake manifold has a designed cover with aluminium finish and the R logo. The aluminium finish is repeated in the charge air pipe from the turbo, which is in a dominant position in the engine compartment. The powerful engine design is matched by the facts: the five-cylinder 2.5 litre in-line turbocharged engine is the most powerful engine in the Volvo range. It is a further development of the 2.3 litre engine in Volvo’s T5 models.
Top class performance
The 300 hp (220 kW) power output at 5250 rpm and the 400 Nm of torque between 1950 and 5250 rpm place the R-engine among the market leaders in terms of power output per litre of cylinder volume. Top speed is electronically limited to 250 kph and the S60 R accelerates from 0 to 100 kph in 5.7 seconds (V70 R, 5.9 seconds) with a manual gearbox (preliminary figures). The engine reaches maximum torque already at 1950 rpm, thanks to the larger volume and a new turbo from KKK, with a
maximum charging pressure of about 1 bar. Since the high charging pressure significantly raises the temperature of the intake air, the S60 R and V70 R are fitted with two charge air coolers.
The engine is equipped with Dual Wide Range CVVT, continuously variable valve timing, on both the intake and exhaust camshafts. CVVT adjusts the valve opening times to suit the engine speed and load. This means that the engine is utilised more efficiently, giving higher performance, lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions. Pistons and connecting rods are heavily reinforced to withstand the increased stresses, and the cylinder head cooling has been improved. The sump has been re-designed to safeguard the oil supply to the engine under extreme G-forces.
New six-speed manual gearbox
The newly-developed six-speed manual gearbox is amply dimensioned to handle the high torque delivered by the engine. Gearshift travel is short, giving the driver immediate, distinct information that the gear is engaged. This makes for fast changes.The Geartronic automatic transmission has five speeds. With Geartronic, the driver gets the best of both worlds: the gearbox takes care of all gearchanges completely automatically, or the driver can change gear manually, but without a
clutch.
The automatic transmission is also adaptive; in other words it monitors the driver’s driving style and adapts the gearchanging pattern accordingly. It also has a "Sport" mode selector in which the automatic transmission changes gears at a higher speed and downshifts faster.As for emissions, the R-engine satisfies the American LEV I requirements and conforms to the European Euro 4 standard.
Text and photos courtesy of Volvo
