Volvo XC60 Preview Chapel Hill NC

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Critical Knowledge:

• City Safety impact protection


• Turbocharged T6 engine


• All-wheel drive with Instant Traction


• 281 hp


• Push-button start

Introduction
As the 15 millionth Volvo vehicle rolls off the production line in Sweden, the automaker has added one more model to the lineup: the new XC60 crossover. The XC made its world debut at the Geneva Auto Show. Scheduled to go on sale in Europe in the fall of 2008, the XC60 will invade U.S. shores in the first quarter of 2009, hoping to compete with models like the BMW X3, Infiniti EX35 and Lincoln MKX.

Design
According to Volvo Cars Design Director Steve Mattin, the Volvo XC60 will be instantly recognizable as a Volvo product. "If you say that you'd recognize a Volvo from 300 feet away today, I daresay the XC60 radiates a clear Volvo presence from at least twice that distance." What he's talking about are the instantly identifiable rear "shoulders," which are more pronounced on the XC60 than on the XC90. Sculpted and defined side lines along with a tapered greenhouse give the XC60 a "fast forward" look.

Up front, there's no mistaking the XC60 as a Volvo; it has a large signature iron mark in the trapezoidal grille, along with projector beam headlamps with washers and inset fog.

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