Silver, Metallic Gray, and my test car's non-metallic Passion Red (Volvo-speak for "Arrest Me Red").

Under the hood, the three-liter turbocharged straight six has benefited from raising the turbo boost from 13.1 to 14.5 p.s.i., while the engine internals remain untouched. The engine-management software was modified by Polestar, which tunes Volvo's race teams in Sweden. This bumps output from 300 horsepower to 325 and raises torque to an impressive 354 lb.-ft. (from 325). With advanced spark timing, Volvo recommends premium fuel (the standard S60 turbo is fully satisfied with regular).

Best of all, the EPA numbers mirror the stock T6 S60 despite the increased output: 18 m.p.g. city, 26 highway. With its 17.8-gallon tank, I was able to drive the 485-mile trip from Yountville, California to my base north of San Diego without stopping for fuel (I averaged 27.9 m.p.g.). The S60 R-Design shows it's possible to get increased performance combined with impressive efficiency.

The chassis underpinnings of the R-Design were modified in several ways. Central are the stiffer suspension bushings that improve communication between the driver and the road. Springs are 15-percent stiffer and lower the car by 0.6-inches, and a front strut-tower brace serves to contribute to a sense that the R-Design S60 is set up for enthusiast drivers.

With a base price of $42,500, the R-Design version of the S60 is priced