2015 Volvo XC60 T6 Drive-E Platinum

For 2015, Volvo’s luxurious crossover gains a new high-tech engine and a longer name. The XC60 receives minor updates to the interior and exterior as well, but the big news is Volvo’s new “Drive-E” powertrain. Aimed at streamlining production, all of Volvo’s Drive-E motors will share a common architecture and 2.0 liter displacement. These engines will replace the five and six-cylinder mills currently used in the S60, V60 and other models, but will retain Volvo’s T5 and T6 designations. For the T5 version, the Drive-E motor will have a single turbo and be tuned to produce 241 horsepower.

The big news for our T6 version, however, is an engine that uses both a supercharger and a turbo, the only “twincharged” motor of its kind currently on sale in the US. Yielding over 300 horsepower and 295 lb/ft of torque, available from 1400 to 4000 RPM, this engine uses the crank-driven supercharger to boost low-end torque and account for turbo lag, then switches over to the more efficient, exhaust-driven turbocharger at higher RPMs, once that turbo has had time to spool up. This strategy allows for a small engine with a big turbo, a combination which otherwise would suffer from turbo lag and overly peaky power delivery. The advantage to the small engine displacement is that it pays big dividends in fuel-economy. Volvo says this new motor in the XC60 T6 Drive-E, backed by an 8-speed automatic, boosts fuel efficiency over last year’s XC60 T6 by 5 mpg on the highway and 6 mpg in the city.

Featuring all of today’s de rigeur efficiency technologies, from variable cam timing to stop-start and electric power steering, the 2015 Volvo XC60 T6 Drive-E is rated at 24 mpg city/ 31 highway, pretty impressive for a crossover with 302 horsepower.

Initially the 2015 Volvo XC60 with the Drive-E motor will be available in front-wheel drive form only, but an all-wheel-drive system is said to be on the way, as is a hybrid version, possibly with electric motors supplying thrust to the rear wheels.