2012 Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid First Drive Report Page 3

By Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

Contributing Writer BIO

Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield is a self-confessed petrol head. She grew up in a carless family but was able at a very early age to name cars passing her on... More

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2012 Volvo V60 PHEV

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Handling

Although Volvo may have some tweaking to do to the drivetrain before the V60 PHEV is ready for prime-time, the ride and handling seems production ready. 

Based on the gasoline V60, the V60 PHEV shares the same steering and suspension geometry, but with uprated components designed to take the car’s additional weight.

The hard work has paid off. With no discernible bad manners in ride or handling, the V60 PHEV provides a smooth ride and positive steering. 

In fact, thanks to the increased weight from the additional battery pack and a 50/50 weight distribution the car is more pleasant to drive than a gasoline V60.

Verdict

The example of the Volvo V60 PHEV we drove may still be an engineering pre-production vehicle, but it already has excellent promise. 

The software flaws we witnessed in the car’s drivetrain system are ones which we believe Volvo has time to sort out well before it reaches production in 2012. 

2012 Volvo V60 PHEV

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Sadly though, the the V60 PHEV isn’t due to come to the U.S. Volvo claims there isn’t enough interest yet in diesels in the U.S. to justify bringing the V60 PHEV to the U.S. market. 

So why examine a car which isn’t even coming to the U.S? 

Volvo has told us that the V60 PHEV will be a gateway vehicle to more models, which will most likely include a plug-in hybrid suitable for the U.S. market. 

Think of the V60 PHEV as Volvo’s missing link between a gasoline past and an electric future - one we think will be extremely interesting.

Volvo provided airfare, accommodation and meals to enable HighGearMedia to bring you this review.