2015 Volvo S60, XC60, New V60 Wagon: Fuel-Efficient Drive-E Engines

After several years of keeping quiet, Volvo is finally starting to roll out new and updated products--especially in its core mid-size segment.

We've now driven three of them, all 2015 models: the XC60 crossover utility, the S60 sport sedan, and the new V60 wagon, the first actual Volvo wagon to be sold here in a few years.

MORE: 2015 Volvo V60 - review

All of our test cars were fitted with the company's brand-new 2.0-liter four-cylinder Drive-E engine, a highly efficient new powerplant that will ultimately replace no fewer than eight different engines across Volvo's entire lineup of vehicles.

The Drive-E engine, in two different versions, powers the wheels of these three models through a new eight-speed automatic transmission.

The goal, of course, is to maintain the power and performance its customers expect, while radically improving the fuel economy delivered by a smaller, lighter engine.

MORE: 2015 Volvo XC60 - full review

Unfortunately, due to packaging constraints, the Drive-E engine is only fitted to front-wheel-drive versions of these three models.

Next XC90 on scalable platform

The Drive-E's first appearance in an all-wheel-drive vehicle will be in the upcoming all-new and redesigned 2015 Volvo XC90 large crossover utility vehicle, which will be unveiled this fall and likely go on sale early next year.

That new XC90 will be the first of many new Volvo models built on a Scalable Platform Architecture that can be used to underpin cars and utility vehicles of various lengths, widths, and heights with a single set of components.

Economies of scale from such scalable architectures are the only way a small carmaker like Volvo can maintain a full model range while building fewer than 1 million vehicles a year. Mazda and Subaru, among other small makers, use the same approach.

The first Drive-E variant we drove was a 240-horsepower direct-injected and turbocharged 2.0-liter four, known as the T5 (meaning a power output of roughly 250 to 300 hp). It's offered in 2015 models of the S60, V60, and XC60.

Turbo, or turbo AND super

The second and more powerful version, the T6, adds a supercharger to increase low-end power as well as the turbocharger for higher engine speeds. It puts out 302 hp.

At least for 2015, that engine is only offered in the S60 and XC60, not the V60 wagon.