I don’t know about the rest of you, but when I think of Volvo, I think of quality and safety. Volvo themselves agree with this perception, however have taken to adding to those thoughts, with the ideas of eco-friendly, sporty and fun.

I recently attended a launch with the Swedish car manufacturer, not for a new model, but rather an enhancement on their existing range with the introduction of their new Drive-E engine. It might seem strange to launch a new engine in an existing range, but Volvo are focused on bringing their customers the best of the best, so why wait for a new fleet to release the latest technology.

Having driven a number of the Volvo range before, namely the V40 and XC90, it was interesting to compare the performance and driving style of the new engine range with the past experiences.

So what is the Drive-E engine? The core behind the concept is sustainable driving, where they have shifted their idea of quality performance from the number of cylinders the vehicle has to the efficiency and output achieved. What this means for the average driver, who doesn’t spend all day thinking about their engine, is piece of mind and higher performance for lower consumption and emissions. Drive-E has two general engine option ranges (one diesel and the other petrol) both four cylinder and offering better performance than the traditional six cylinder engine.

On the test drive experience, we were given a range of XC60, V60 and S60 models (which the engine is currently available in) in either T5 (petrol) or D4 (diesel) options. We were on the peaceful and serene plantation roads of White River near Nelspruit. As we wound around the hilly trail mapped out for us, we were able to test out the various functions of the vehicles and the performance of the engines. I found the new Drive-E engine to be both responsive and dynamic, pop the gear lever to the left into sport mode, and you can feel the instantaneous change in responsiveness as the Swedish machine grips the road for action.

This drive was not about the features of the individual models (which were fantastic), but rather the engine. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the statistics relating to Drive-E:

• It replaces eight existing engine architectures in three platforms. Therefore, these engines are uniquelly developed, tested and produced by Volvo for Volvo.
• One architecture prepared for two fuels (petrol and diesel) in eight power derivatives.
• New eight speed auto gearbox produced alongside the new engines.
• Complies with all 2013-2017 emission legislations worldwide.
• Reduces fuel consumption by 15-35%.
• Delivers powertrain weight savings of 30-50kg.
• kW/rpm is 133 in the D4 and 180 in the T5 variants.

Volvo were so excited about this new enhancement to their range that they brought out the lead engineer to talk us through the technology they have created. The engines are essentially the same platform for diesel and petrol and boast extremely low levels of friction. Their team worked tirelessly to ensure that their emissions are some of the lowest in the industry, while not impacting the performance in any way.

At the end of the day, if you weren’t told that Volvo had made a change, as a consumer you wouldn’t actively notice a change to the Volvo engineering standard. What you would notice is an improvement in performance which will be noticed most at the petrol pump.

Volvo will be introducing a more powerful T6 option later in 2014. The new Drive E-engines will also be introduced it into the V40 range later this year too.

With Volvo’s new design direction being introduced in late 2014 early 2015 in the XC90 range, we can expect exciting things from this stable. For now though, enjoy the enhancements they have brought in and have a little fun in that sport mode.

Volvo South Africa's website

Follow Luke Heydenrych on twitter @TheLukism