CHARLESTON, South Carolina —If you had closely studied the lines of the new V60 station wagon, you might have guessed what the 2019 Volvo S60 sedan going on sale this fall would look like.

The compact sedan is the latest of Volvo model to migrate to the elegant Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) that lends rear-wheel-drive-like dash-to-axle proportions to a front-drive based platform that uses a transverse-mounted engine.

Volvo's new S60 sedan, predictably, mixes the larger S90's rear-end treatment and its inverse C-shaped taillamps with the V60's more youthful and more expressive side surfacing. The interior is virtually the same as the V60 wagon's up to the back seat, with highly contoured front seats and the bent-wood dashboard trim that wraps under the corner heating/air conditioning vents and under the center screen. We hope the base S60 Momentum gets the same City Weave cloth plaid insert option as available in the V60 Momentum.

Wheelbase is up 2.8 inches over the outgoing S60, to 113.1 inches.

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The extra space between the transverse 2.0-liter inline-four and the front cowl allows for optional electrified powertrains, which Volvo has vowed to make available in all of its models by 2020.

New for the 2019 S60 is the T6 Twin Engine all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid variant, which will make a combined 340 horsepower. It's essentially a detuned version of the 400 hp (combined) T8 Twin Engine AWD PHEV setup also available on the 2019 S60. A limited-edition Volvo S60 Polestar Engineered model will be available through the Care by Volvo subscription service only, with upgrades to the wheels, brakes, suspension, and engine control unit plus a 15 hp boost to 415 hp combined.

Those powertrains will become available in the S60 some time after this fall's launch, when the conventional gas-powered T5 turbocharged and T6 turbo/supercharged 2.0-liter fours will be the initial powertrains offered. The only transmission available is an eight-speed automatic.

Like the new V60, the '19 S60 will feature active chassis and drive modes, and the latest City Safety package with auto-brake technology that detects pedestrians, cyclists and large animals.

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The Optional Pilot Assist adds advanced assistance to steering, acceleration and braking on well-marked roads, up to 80 mph. Cross-traffic alert with automatic braking also will be optional, while run-off road mitigation, oncoming lane mitigation and other steering assists will be standard.

Returning is the familiar "four-tile" center information/entertainment screen, which includes Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and 4G connectivity.

Sticker prices on the 2019 Volvo S60 don't increase significantly over the outgoing model, with the entry level S60 T5 FWD Momentum starting at $36,795. The mid-level S60 T6 AWD R-Design rings in at $47,395 and the range-topping S60 T8—at least the highest of the range that you can buy—will begin at $56,395.

In addition to the aforementioned Polestar Engineered S60, two other models will be available via the Care by Volvo subscription service—the S60 T6 AWD Momentum for $775 per month and the S60 T6 AWD R-Design for $850/month.

Production of the 2019 Volvo S60 sedan, for domestic and import consumption, begins at the automaker's new assembly plant here in Charleston this autumn.

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