Volvo’s latest 2.0-litre diesel engine has made its India debut on the S60 and XC60. The engine that belongs to Volvo’s new Drive-E line of four-cylinder engines will now be offered as standard on the D4 variants of the S60 sedan and XC60 SUV. Till now, these versions were available with Volvo’s ageing five-cylinder, 2.0-litre engine. Peak power is now a stronger 181bhp at 4250rpm (versus the earlier engine’s 163bhp at 3500rpm), though max torque is the same at 40.8kgm (now available between 1750-2500rpm).

As part of the package, the D4s also get a new eight-speed automatic transmission in place of the older six-speed automatic gearbox. Volvo claims the new engine-gearbox combo has not only resulted in brisker performance for both the S60 and XC60, but have made both the models significantly more fuel efficient as well. Engine refinement is claimed to be vastly better too. As before, the S60 D4 for India is solely offered as a front-wheel drive, while the XC60 comes with an all-wheel drive system. Volvo will continue to sell the XC60 in D5 form with a 215bhp, five-cylinder, 2.4-litre diesel, though this engine is also likely to be replaced with a more powerful version of the 2.0-litre engine in the future.

Accompanying the introduction of the new engine is a small bump up in prices that Volvo says is on account of revisions to the import duty structure. Still, the new engine should help further enhance the appeal of both the Volvos that received facelifts only earlier this year.