Volvo Introduces New 2.0-liter Five-Cylinder Diesel, Upgraded Six-Cylinder petrol engines

For the 2011 model year, Volvo is introducing a new five-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo diesel that will be available throughout its range while the Swedish automaker also upgraded the six-cylinder petrol engines offered on the S80, V70, XC70 and XC60.

The new five-cylinder diesel unit is in principle the same engine as the 2.4-litre diesel, but its displacement has been reduced (with a shorter stroke) to 2.0-liters. It will be offered in three different variants in terms of output.

In the S80, V70, XC70 and XC60, the newly developed 2.0-litre diesel produces 163HP and 400 Nm of torque. In these models the engine is badged the D3.

In the smaller C30 hatchback, S40 sedan, V50 estate and C70 coupe cabriolet, the new 2.0L unit is available in two flavors, the D3 with 150HP and 350 Nm of torque and the D4 with 177HP and 400 Nm of torque.

All the variants of the new 2.0-liter turbodiesel can be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox.

In addition, Volvo updated its 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbocharged petrol T6 that now offers 304HP and 440 Nm of torque.

The six-cylinder 3.2-litre naturally aspirated engine has also been upgraded and features an improved crankshaft and less internal friction. It now produces 243HP and maximum torque is 320 Nm.

In order to meet US legislative requirements, Volvo also offers a PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicle) variant of the same engine that produces 231HP and 300 Nm of peak torque.

New Volvo S80 and V70 DRIVe with 1.6-liter Diesel Return 4.5lt/100km - 52.3 mpg US with 119g/km CO2

Thanks to a few minor tweaks, Volvo has managed to further reduce CO2 emissions and improve fuel efficiency on its S80 and V70 DRIVe models from the 2009MYs 129 g/km and 4.9 lt/100 km (48mpg US) to 119 g/km and 4.5 lt/100 km (52.3mpg US) on the 2010MYs respectively.

Both cars continue to use a 1.6-liter diesel with 109HP and 240Nm of peak torque that's hooked up to a five-speed manual gearbox.

However, Volvo's engineers employed a smart battery recharging system that 'forces' the alternator to charge the battery only when the engine is operating at low load (e.g. when driving downhill), while they also redesigned the tensioner and alternator pulleys.

"Smart battery recharging is the most important measure," says Ulf Nordström, Technical Project manager at Volvo Cars.

"It is primarily thanks to this that we have dipped below the 120-gram level that gives car owners tax breaks and other benefits in a number of European countries. What is more, one might say that we offer the normal driver one free tank of fuel a year," Nordström added.

The Swedish automaker said that the reduction in fuel consumption from a combined 4.9 lt/100 km to 4.5 l/100 km means that someone driving 15,000 km a year will save 60 liters of diesel or as Nordström put it, one fuel tank.

Volvo did not disclose any performance figures for the updated 2010MY S80 and V70 DRIVe, but just to get an idea, the 2009MY S80 DRIVe accelerates from standstill to 100km/h in a claimed 12.4 seconds and reaches a top speed of 118mph or 189 km/h.

We say that, while any efforts to improve CO2 emissions and fuel consumption are more than welcome, fitting a puny 1.6-liter diesel engine in cars of the size and weight of the S80 and V70, isn't exactly pioneering anything new...

Volvo Launches New 203HP 2.0-Liter Turbo Gasoline Engine for S80, V70 and XC60

FoMoCo's soon-to-be-sold to China's Geely Motors Volvo brand is expanding its range of gasoline engines with the presentation of the all-new 2.0-liter GTDi (Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection) that will initially find its way under the hood of the S80 sedan, V70 estate and XC60 compact SUV models.

Even though Volvo did not mention anything about Ford, we suspect that the new four-cylinder unit that combines turbocharging technology and direct injection with twin variable camshafts, is either the same engine or heavily based on FoMoCo's new 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine that will be used on several cars including the European Mondeo and the Australian Falcon.

Volvo said that the new 2.0 GTDi petrol engine produces an output of 203 horsepower and 300 Nm or 221.3 lb-ft of peak torque that is sustained from 1750 rpm all the way up to 4,000 rpm.

The engine will be offered in combination with Volvo's automatic six-speed Powershift transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox

"We've succeeded in making a four-cylinder engine that is as powerful as a 2.5-litre five-cylinder unit, and it's also much more energy-efficient," said Magnus Jonsson, head of Product Development at Volvo Cars.

"One of the most important reasons behind the results is our new, patented turbo system that has been tailor-made for smaller energy-efficient engines," Jonsson added.

With this new engine and the six-speed manual gearbox, the S80 sedan accelerates from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 7.9 seconds while returning a combined fuel consumption of 7.9 lt /100km which is equal to 29.8mpg US and 35.8mpg UK.

Volvo said that the new 2.0 GTDi engine is being initially launched on markets that offer tax incentives for engines below two liters in displacement including South-East Asia, the Netherlands, China and Japan, adding that more countries/regions will follow later in the year.

Volvo Recalling Thousands of S80, V70 and XC70 Vehicles

It's recall time for Volvo as the Swedish automaker has detected a faulty diagnostic software in the central electronic module (CEM) on the MY 2007-2008 S80, V70 and XC70 models. Volvo said that the software problem could cause the windshield wipers to not operate when activated or in certain cases they may be activated when not switched on. Overall, some 12,300 S80s, V70s and XC70s are affected from this recall. Beginning from May, Volvo dealers will inspect the CEM and if required, upgrade the software free of charge.

2010 Volvo S80 Facelift with Updated Design and New Diesel to be Launched in Geneva

According to Auto Cars 2011's insiders, Volvo will perform the world debut of the S80 facelift at the Geneva motorshow. The Swedish firm's flagship sedan will receive a light makeover and a new, top-of-the-line diesel engine. The 2010 S80's D5 2.4-liter 5-cylinder oil-burner comes equipped with sequential twin turbochargers, ceramic glow-plugs and piezoelectric fuel injectors for a power output of 205HP and 420Nm of torque. The Swedes claim that with this engine, the new S80 will achieve a combined fuel consumption of just 6.2 lt /100 km (38mpg US - 45.6mpg UK) with low -for the size of the vehicle- CO2 emissions of 164 g/km.

Volvo Presents New 2.4-liter Twin-Turbo Diesel with 205HP - 38MPG in S80

Volvo has announced a new 2.4-liter 5-cylinder diesel engine that will find its way under the hood of the S80 saloon. The new D5 diesel uses an array of innovative engineering solutions such as sequential twin turbochargers, ceramic glow-plugs and piezoelectric fuel injectors. The result is an improved power output of 205hp and 420Nm of torque combined with low fuel emissions of 164g/km and a fuel consumption of just 6.2 lt /100 km (38mpg US - 45.6mpg UK) - which is a pretty good figure for a car the size of the S80.

"Our brief was to develop a modern performance diesel engine that meets the Euro 5 standard," said Derek Crabb, Volvo Vice President, Powertrain Engineering. "When the project got under way, our goal was to bring fuel consumption down to 6.4 lt /100km (44.1mpg UK) in the S80, which, after all, is a relatively large car," recalls Derek Crabb.

"As the work progressed, we saw that we could beat that target and today we are actually down to 6.2 lt / 100km (45.6mpg UK). With an automatic gearbox we have been able to reduce the consumption by more than 8 percent, from 7.3 to 6.7 lt / 100km (38.7 to 42.2mpg UK), which is a significant improvement."

The new D5 diesel will be available in the S80 in the second quarter of 2009 while it certain that Volvo will offer the engine in other models, including the forthcoming S60 sedan.

Volvo UK Announces Prices On New 2.0-Litre V70 & S80

Volvo has revealed pricing on its new entry-level 2.0-litre engines in the V70 estate and S80 sedan. The 2.0-litre common rail diesel generates 136PS and 320Nm of torque and is equipped with a Diesel Particulate Filter as standard while its gasoline equivalent produces 145PS and 190Nm of torque.

Prices for the petrol derivative will start from £24,995 in the Volvo V70 and £23,495 in the S80, while the diesel powerplant is priced at £25,495 and £23,995 in the Volvo V70 and S80 respectively. Available to order now ready for January delivery, both four cylinder engines have been introduced to widen the appeal of both cars and are expected to account for up to 60% of all Volvo V70 and S80 UK sales.