All the way with AWD in facelifted Volvo flagship

VOLVO’S flagship S80 has gone all-wheel-drive across the range in the latest facelift that has been slipped on to the Australian market without hoopla thus far.

The revised model – originally unveiled at the Geneva motor show in March – also gets Volvo’s new premium high-tech 2.4-litre D5 five-cylinder diesel engine that has just been introduced in most of the Swedish brand’s other larger vehicles sold in this market.

The 151kW twin-turbo aluminium-block diesel – now also available on Volvo’s XC70 wagon and XC60 SUV – replaces the older 136kW D5 that continues only in the XC90 SUV.

In the S80, the new powertrain and driveline not only bring more power, greater efficiency, Euro 5 emissions and AWD grip, but a cost penalty, with the price of the S80 D5 rising $6000 to $79,950.

Diesel XC60 models have also gone up by $1000, to $58,950 for the D5 and $65,450 for the D5 LE. Petrol XC60 and S80 models are unchanged.

Although Volvo has yet to announce official ADR fuel figures for its new D5 models, the S80 D5 AWD in the UK is advertised with a combined fuel consumption figure of 7.3L/100km – the same as the superseded FWD S80 D5 in Australia.

Smaller Volvo models such as the C30, S40 and V50 also have just received a diesel powertrain transplant for the 2010 model year, with the original D5 being replaced by a smaller, more efficient 2.0-litre four-cylinder 100kW turbo diesel, the 2.0D, matched with a six-speed dual-clutch Powershift gearbox.

From top: Volvo V70 wagon, Volvo C70, Volvo XC70.

The 2.0D C30 has an official combined fuel consumption rating of 5.9 litres per 100km –1.0L/100km better than the previous diesel/automatic combo. Acceleration of the C30 diesel is said to be 9.5 seconds for the 0-100km sprint – about one second slower than the bigger-engined previous model.

Fuel savings are similar for the S40 and V50 2.0D Powershift models, which both have a 6.0l/100km combined fuel figure and a CO2 emissions reading of 159g/km.

A third new diesel engine, the super-efficient 1.6-litre four-cylinder 1.6D DRIVe, will arrive in the facelifted C30 range in about March.

This engine – developed jointly by a consortium of European manufacturers including Ford, Peugeot and BMW – will be one of the most efficient powerplants on the Australian market in its Volvo guise, returning an ADR combined fuel figure of 3.8L/100km – 0.1L/100km better than the Mini and Prius but 0.1L/100km short of the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic’s benchmark 3.7L/100km.

This engine will run in parallel with the just-introduced 2.0-litre unit in the C30 range.

The new 2.4-litre D5 engine was developed in-house over three years by Volvo, incorporating all the latest technologies such as piezoelectric fuel injection that can inject fuel up to seven times in one cycle to help cut particulates, and ceramic glow plugs that can heat to 1000 degrees in just two seconds for quicker, cleaner starting.

The twin turbos operate in sequence, with the small unit spinning up quickly to reduce lag, and the bigger blower coming on strong to pump the engine at higher revs.

In the S80, the old D5 diesel was previously available only in front-wheel drive, while two petrol variants – the 3.0-litre 210kW turbo T6 and 4.4-litre 232kW V8 – were exclusively all-wheel-drive.

For 2010, all three variants drive through four wheels, all via a six-speed automatic transmission.

Cosmetic changes to the S80 include new chrome detailing across the lower front air intakes, on the lower door strips and under the tail-lights as well as the more extrovert grille with its prominent badge – the latter a common feature of all the new MY10 Volvos.

In other changes for the 2010 model year, Volvo Car Australia has introduced a high-performance specification, T5 R-Design, in three models – the C30, S40 and V50.

Powered by Volvo’s 2.5-litre turbo five-cylinder petrol engine producing 169kW at 5000rpm and 320Nm of torque at 1500-5000rpm, the R-Design models show their sports intent with a body kit, twin exhausts, matt-satin grille and side mirrors and unique alloy wheels.

Inside, the seats are cloaked in a combination of black ‘Flex-Tec’ fabric and cream leather, embossed with the R-Design logo. Leather-trimmed sports steering wheel, leather gear knob, sports instrumentation and pedals, plus R-Design floor mats, complete the package.

T5 R-Design prices start at $47,150 for the C30 manual - a $3700 premium over the C30 T5.

The facelifted 2010 V70 wagon – still equipped with the 3.0-litre 210kW T6 turbo petrol engine – also gets an R-Design variant that includes 18-inch alloys, a lower, sports-tuned suspension, rear spoiler and matt grille and mirrors. An R-Design package is also available on the XC90 SUV.

As well, a new, easier-to-read and operate sat-nav system has been introduced on the V70, XC70 and XC60.

All the facelifted 2010 models are now in showrooms, apart from the new-look C30 and C70 convertible, which are expected in March.

As GoAuto has previously reported, the price of admission to the C70 club has been cut from $71,950 for the previous C70 LE to $59,990 for the new, slightly trimmed C70 S.

Volvo’s biggest development for 2010 – the new S60 mid-sized sedan – is due later in the year.