Earlier this month, Volvo announced renewed energy in their family-friendly offerings by debuting three new products, the Volvo S60 Inscription, Volvo S60 Cross Country, and XC90 R-Design. All three models are slated to hit United States showroom floors in the second quarter of this year.

“These two new products, added to the all-new XC90 unveiled in LA, are a further statement of our commitment to turn around our performance in the US. Overall, we will launch seven new products in the US by 2018,” said Håkan Samuelsson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Volvo Cars.

S60 Inscription

An upgraded version of the already-on-the-market S60, the Inscription boasts special specialized natural wood and satin metal trim, leather upholstery, moon roof, navigation, ambient lighting and unique 19-inch wheels.

The S60 Inscription has been built with the United States market in mind, providing 3.4 inches of additional rear-seat legroom, something specifically requested by Volvo customers.

The 2016 model year S60 Inscription will come in two variants: Premier and Platinum. Premier will comprise leather upholstery, a sun/moon roof and the Sensus Navigation package. The S60 Inscription will be available with the T5 in both front-wheel drive and All-Wheel Drive.

Platinum customers receive the above, plus the full Sensus technology package, a high-end 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, dual Xenon lights and a “convenience package” designed to “put the joy back into every day driving.”

Families can get the information they want at their fingertips with the S60’s Adaptive Digital Display uses an active TFT (Thin Film Transistor) crystal display to bring the driver personalised information in their choice of three thremes: Elegance, Eco and Performance.

Volvo added a refreshed version of Sensus Connect to the 2015 S60, giving drivers a cloud-based connection service allowing them to find and pay for parking from the car, discover new restaurants at the destination, stream favourite music seamlessly and much more. The driver can also have text messages read out aloud without taking hands off the wheel and be told that their vehicle requires maintenance. The 2016 Inscription comes with the full Sensus technology package.

S60 Cross Country

Volvo’s S60 Cross Country is touted as “the first premium sedan with the same level of capability and rugged design cues of the renowned Cross Country wagons.” What does that mean? It’s a crossover sedan.

“The S60 Cross Country is the sole contender in the crossover sedan segment. We have identified a clear niche in the market for a more capable sedan with rugged styling cues and a higher stance. The S60 Cross Country will appeal to people that are searching for an exciting and capable sedan, whilst enjoying the clear benefits that a crossover offers,” says Alain Visser, Senior Vice President Sales, Marketing and Customer Service.

The crossover sedan shares an increased ride height of 65mm (2.5 inches) and comes with the same capable All-Wheel Drive underpinning like the V60.

“We want to further explore the market with our Cross Country brand. We did this back in 1997 with the V70 Cross Country and it led to the birth of a whole new segment. We have included all the capability-driven benefits of the Cross Country brand in this new model, while offering a completely unique expression of adventure and all-road readiness in a distinctly sporty and stylish package,” said Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Vice President Americas.

The S60 Cross Country will launch with a T5 All-Wheel Drive gasoline powertrain delivering up to 250 bhp.

XC90 R-Design

The XC90 has gotten a much needed overhaul and looks refresh complete with the company’s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) technology. Inside, the interior features R-Design sports seats in Nubuck textile and perforated leather in addition to a tablet-like touch screen control console, creating a virtually button free control system for the entire vehicle.

Riders will also be surrounded by sound coming from 19 Bowers & Wilkins speakers, continuing the trend of luxury SUV premium audio offerings in 2015.

The seven-seat SUV also features world leading safety features, new powertrain technologies, and what Volvo calls “unrivalled combination of power and fuel efficiency and a superlative interior finish.” Buyers will have their choice of Drive-E powertrains offering up to 400 hp.

“R-Design is created for people with a passion for things that add spice to life,” said Alain Visser, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Customer Service of Volvo Cars. “It appeals to customers that love active driving and a personal, expressive design.”

Volvo is known for their safety prowess and the XC90 continues that tradition offering a run-off road protection package and (a first for any manufacturer) auto brake at intersection capability. In a run-off road scenario, the all-new Volvo XC90 detects what is happening and the front safety belts are tightened to keep the occupants in position. To help prevent spine injuries, energy-absorbing functionality between the seat and seat frame cushions the vertical forces that can arise when the car encounters a hard landing in the terrain.

City Safety becomes the umbrella name for all of Volvo Cars’ auto brake functions, which are standard equipment in the all-new XC90. It now covers vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians in front of the car, day and night.

Safety systems and the rest of the vehicles’s controls are operated via a large tablet replacing a typical center stack.

The new interior is pure and uncluttered, while still radiating the sophisticated confidence and formality that luxury SUV customers expect. The simplicity is perfectly in tune with our Scandinavian design heritage. It opens up generous surfaces and gives us the opportunity to create a modern, luxurious interior architecture,” said Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design of Volvo Car Group..

images courtesy of Volvo Car Group