2014 Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid D6 R-Design: 283 hp, 155mpg

Even though it won’t be coming with anything other than Volvo’s six-speed automatic, it’s hard not to want a reasonably quick diesel wagon from Volvo that looks like this and gets up to 155 mpg. Are we getting it over here? Hah! No. Of course not. Today’s news from Volvo does not exactly herald an all-new car, the diesel plug in hybrid V60 has been around for a while, but there hasn’t been an R-Design version. Though this is a comparatively small segment, it is likely one that is not shrinking. This would likely represent the first sporty variant of a plug in diesel hybrid. Though the diesel’s 324 ft-lbs torque goes to the front wheels, 147 ft-lbs goes to the rear wheels from an electric motor. The car gets a range of 30 miles on electric only, which is not much better than a lot of mild plug-in hybrids offered over here, but if that encompasses one’s commute, it’s nothing to cough at either.

What separates the R-Design from the standard car? Unfortunately, it’s just an appearance package, the suspension remains the same, the 6 second 0-60 time remains the same, and the powertrain remains the same. This car does get extra spoilers, special 18 inch wheels, an R-Design badge on the grille, and R-Design interior upgrades, but that’s it.

So why are we not getting this across the pond? The US emissions regulations present an expensive challenge to Volvo and other manufacturers and the demand for wagons, let alone diesels and plug-in hybrids will not produce the returns anticipated. Over here, a V60 will set you back about $32,000. In Britain, before any sort of tax or other price alteration, the standard, non-R-Design car costs $76,469. The UK has pretty serious taxes that they levy, though they will knock about $8,400 off the going price as part of a plug in hybrid subsidy. In short, this thing is awesome, but not cheap. For more details, check out the press release after the jump.

-By: Sawyer Sutton

The new Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid with R-Design: the perfect package of efficiency and dynamics

The super-efficient Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid – one of the best-selling hybrid-electrified vehicles in Europe in 2013 – is now also available in Volvo Cars’ R-Design version.

“We sold almost 8,000 plug-in hybrids in 2013. Adding the R-Design dynamic attributes to the V60 Plug-in Hybrid – the world’s first diesel plug-in hybrid –  will give its attractiveness another boost. The customer gets segment-topping performance combined with outstanding efficiency,” says Alain Visser, Senior Vice President Marketing, Sales and Customer Service at Volvo Car Group.

Unique exterior and interior

The V60 Plug-in Hybrid R-Design version features a number of unique interior and exterior features that create a sporty presence. The exterior blends the Plug-in Hybrid identification with the R-Design front, rear diffusor and 18-inch ‘Ixion’ wheels.

Inside, the car comes with a full R-Design interior design. Sport seats, featuring a blend of black nubuck textile and perforated leather, are standard. By blending inlays with a perforated look, black leather and contrasting stitching, the design team has created an R-design interior with all the details in perfect harmony, crowned by the black headliner. The car retains the special plug-in hybrid instrumentation and information.

Ingenious power blend

The front wheels of the V60 Plug-in Hybrid are powered by a five-cylinder 2.4-litre turbodiesel producing 215 hp and 440 Nm of torque. The car has a six-speed automatic transmission.

The rear axle is powered by an electric motor producing 68 horsepower and 200 Nm. It is supplied with power from an 11.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack installed under the floor of the load compartment.

Pure Hybrid Power

The driver selects the required driving mode via three buttons that give the car three entirely different temperaments: Pure, Hybrid or Power.

In the default hybrid mode, the carbon dioxide emissions are down to just 48g/km. This corresponds to fuel consumption of 1.8 litres/100 km (NEDC certification driving cycle for hybrids).

What is more, at the touch of a button the driver can choose to cover up to 50 kilometres on pure electric power – or utilise the combined capacity of the diesel engine and electric motor to create a veritable driving machine that offers 283 horsepower and 640 Nm of torque.

Sawyer Sutton

Sawyer Sutton is a long-time Vermonter and lover of cars, big machinery, and photography. These are his words on cars as Senior Editor of egmCarTech.

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