Volvo debuts S60L for the Chinese market

If you've tried the Volvo S60, did you get the feeling that it might benefit from a little more legroom in the back? The first-generation S60 and the second-generation S60 are fine automobiles, but if there's one gripe we've heard from owners about their cars, it's that rear-seat legroom could be a tad more generous (on that one day of the year when they have more than two people in the car). For the 2014 model year, Volvo is introducing a long-wheelbase version of the sedan, dubbed the S60L, but it will be available only in the Chinese market where long-wheelbase sedans are "a thing."

The S60L will have a wheelbase that is 3.1 inches longer than the standard model, for a total of 112.4 inches, all benefiting rear-seat passengers. Engine choices are a direct carryover from those already offered on the standard wheelbase S60 in the Chinese market. Production began almost a month ago in at the Volvo plant in Chengdu, China, but Volvo only revealed the new model a few days ago -- not that there was much doubt about what it would look like.

Volvo
The S60L joins the S80L in Volvo's Chinese domestic market lineup.

The debut of the S60L at the Guangzhou Motor Show came no surprise, as the Chinese domestic market is already awash with long-wheelbase versions of full-size and midsize cars. Audi, for example, offers the A4L and the A6L in the Chinese market, in addition to the Audi A8L that North America also receives. And for the past few years, Volvo has been selling a long-wheelbase version of the S80 sedan in China.

By Jay Ramey