Limited Edition Volvo V70 T6 AWD R-Design with 325HP by Heico Sportiv

Heico Sportiv has been putting together more stylish and powerful Volvos for over a decade. Now, the tuning firm has once again joined forces with Volvo to create a special edition version of the V60 T6 estate for the German market. It goes on sale this summer with a hefty €70,193 [about US$87,000] price tag in a limited run of just 100 copies, all in a metallic sapphire black shade.

This V70 T6 AWD R-Design is motivated by the firm's 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 upgraded with a recalibrated ECU and a sport exhaust system that cranks out 325HP and a maximum torque of 460 Nm / 339 lb-ft, a jump of 21HP and 20Nm over stock. The engine is matched to a six-gear automatic gearbox with geartronic function.

Volvo says the estate accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 5.9 seconds [standard model: 6.9 seconds], and reached an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155mph). Average fuel consumption is 10.6 lt / 100 km, equal to 22.2 mpg US.

Heico Sportiv also treated the V70 T6 AWD with a sport suspension that lowers the estate's ride height by 30mm or 1.2 inches, and big 19-inch alloy wheels complete with 245/35 R19 Pirelli tires. The car also comes with an extra set of original Volvo R-Design 18-inch wheels with Pirelli winter tires.

Aside from the standard R-Design package that includes color-coded door sills and bumpers, roof spoiler, mirror casings in a matt chrome finish and chrome applications for the fog-lamp surrounds, the special edition V70 also gets chrome exhaust tips and a special trunk emblem.

The R-Design package's interior fittings include, among others, sport leather upholstery in anthracite with inlaid quartz-beige contours, R-Design aluminum inlays, multifunctional leather sport steering wheel, sport pedals and blue-background instruments. In addition, Heico Sportiv added aluminum door pins and a special edition plaque for the dashboard.

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.