Volvo V60 PHEV R-Design launched

The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) is now available in Volvo’s R-Design trim, bringing a touch of sporty style to the efficient estate model.

On the outside, the car gets a new front bumper and grille, while at the rear of the car, twin exhaust pipes are now housed in a grey diffuser. The R-Design styling pack also includes bigger 18-inch ‘Ixion’ alloy wheels.

The interior of the car also gets an overhaul, with sports seats upholstered in a mix of leather and nubuck cloth. Other noticeable features of the R-Design spec cabin include sports pedals, new floor mats and charcoal-coloured detailing.

The car keeps the same 215bhp 2.4-litre turbodiesel engine from the standard V60 PHEV, which works alongside an electric motor that produces 70bhp. The car has four-wheel drive and is capable of 0-62mph in an impressive 6.1 seconds, but in normal hybrid mode still manages CO2 emissions as low as 48g/km.

The car can be driven in three different modes, ‘Pure,’ ‘Hybrid’ and ‘Power’, with Pure offering totally electric driving for up to 31 miles with zero emissions. The Hybrid setting is intended as the default driving mode, allowing the diesel engine to help out when needed, and the Power mode combines the power of both the engine and the electric motor for best performance.

Hybrid cars have often been given conservative styling, perhaps because customers interested in buying them are assumed to actively shun the kind of looks that are traditionally associated with cars that sacrifice economy for speed.

Now that the use of hybrid technology is becoming more widespread, manufacturers are recognising the need to broaden the appeal of their hybrid models, and adding sporty styling packs, like the R-Design trim, is one way to do this - Volvo will hope to entice a new type of customer to the V60 PHEV with the introduction of the new model.

The Volvo V60 D6 R-Design Lux Nav can be ordered now from £51,675, a price that doesn’t include the £5,000 government grant available for plug-in vehicles. Volvo expects first deliveries to be made in August this year.

For reviews of cars in the current Volvo range, visit Carbuyer’s dedicated Volvo page.