VOLVO S60 Review

Although our test car wasn't fitted with the optional Four-C damper control system, we didn't actually miss it that much. As expected, the level of suspension comfort with the regular setup is by far one of the best in its class. Of course, this was actually typical Volvo fashion, though we were at first a bit mislead by the 18-inch wheels with low-profile tires.

Despite the 235/40 R18 tires and lack of a pneumatic or damper-controlled suspension, our test car simply glided over speed bumps and small potholes. We're not saying it's like a magic carpet when driving, but the feeling isn't far from the one we experienced in the Mercedes-Benz C 200 CGI, which we reckoned was the segment winner in this department.

The leather-engulfed seats were also a good provider of comfort for its passengers, despite not exactly lacking in the side bolster support area. Even though we tested the car during very hot temperatures, the twin-zone automatic climate control worked just fine, especially since it's also equipped with a pollen filter and a recirculation function that kicks in automatically whenever it senses the outside air is not exactly good for breathing.

The overall interior space is above average, with the exception of headroom for the rear seats, but that's not exactly a huge problem per se. Another pretty cool comfort feature is represented by the overall interior ambiance, which gives passengers a very warm and cozy feeling, despite the black leather upholstery.

The second generation of the S60 sedan is based on the Volvo P24 platform, which has lots (if not almost all) in common with Ford's EUCD platform. Apart from the S60, the P24 platform can also be found under the sheet metal of the XC70, XC60, V70 and the S80. That's a lot of retooling, considering all the aforementioned models are pretty different from one another.

Not to mention the fact that the very similar Ford EUCD platform can be found under no less than five Ford and Land Rover models. For the Volvo purists out there, this can only mean bad things, since the S60 doesn't seem to have a lot of character or originality from the technical bits point of view. They are very wrong though, because the second generation of the S60 is nothing like any other Volvo.

Firstly, the chassis isn't trying to put you to sleep every time you try and negotiate a hard turn. Compared to any other Volvo we've ever driven (except those with an "R" on the boot), the new S60 2.0T is miles ahead when it comes to driving dynamics.

The two-liter engine uses state-of-the-art technologies like direct injection and a compromise between a Low Pressure Turbocharger (LPT) and regular turbo. With that being said, the fuel consumption isn't greatly improved compared to its competitors, but it's quite a bit better than older turbocharged gasoline Volvos.

The six-speed Powershift double clutch sequential is great on paper, but in real life it doesn't live up to the same credetials of a Volkswagen's DSG or Porsche's PDK. Developed in collaboration with Getrag, it can't handle a lot of torque either, hence the reason for which the much more powerful S60 T6 still uses the old six-speed automatic with a torque converter.

All in all, despite the obvious downsides, the new Volvo S60 2.0T uses quite an advanced array of technologies, even though none of them actually excels compared to its German counterparts. They do make it the most dynamic non-R Volvo in history though, which is of course a good thing.

Despite missing a few key features, our test car was pretty well equipped from the useful gadgets point of view. We had to do without the psychotic navigation system we tested on both the XC70 and the XC60 last year, since our car didn't have the "Summum" trim level equipped. Considering how tough it is to get "acquainted" with it, we didn't miss that much, and you can always fit a mobile, aftermarket one.

We didn't have the top of the range audio system either, but the mid-level one fitted on our car was way better than average, making you think twice before shedding the extra money for the high-end one. The Four-C electronic damper control system might have been a nice addition as well, but considering how good the standard suspension setup is, we didn't miss that much either.

Let's start with the gadgets which were present on our test car now. We did make use of a dual-zone intelligent climate control system, a fully electrically adjustable driver's seat and swiveling xenon headlights. On top of that, and the regular features like light and rain sensors, we were happy to check out a few other Volvo specialties.

For example, the steering wheels feedback force can be set in three individual stages, from very soft to somewhat hard, which is perfect if the car is used by more than one individual. One of the real creme de la creme features was of course the city safety system, which we also got to test last year on the XC60.

For the ones who are not familiar with it, the aforementioned system automatically brakes to a full stop if the car senses via a couple of lasers, a small radar and a camera that you're about to hit the car in front of you. The system is said to be fail proof only at low speeds in the city, while at higher speeds it acts as a virtual crumple zone, to minimize the damage in case of a frontal impact.

The coolest gadget on our test car was of course the intelligent cruise control system, which works in a very similar fashion with the one we tested on the Infiniti G37 a while back. Using it, you only have to input the maximum speed you want the car to accelerate to, afterwards your only concern will be to steer it. The car will accelerate and/or brake automatically no matter what happens with the traffic in front of the car. Neat, isn't it?

The new Volvo S60 is a little too new to have been tested by international crash testing organizations like the EuroNCAP, IIHS or NHTSA, but taking a few things like Volvo's safety credentials into account, we're not expecting it to behave too bad. For example, there hasn't been a single Volvo since 1997 to score under five stars at the EuroNCAP, and then it was the first generation S40, which had received "just" four stars.

Even if you're the "progress non-believer" type, until the new S60 crash tests are published your confidence can remain high thanks to the passive and active safety features present in standard on our test car.

There is of course and army of front and side airbags, which protect anything from the head to the chest, thorax, knees, etc. The safety cell is a strong as ever, while the crumple zones have been redefined to achieve their function better.

As far as the active safety systems go, this is where our test car really shines, without even being fitted with all that was available. So, apart from the regular anti-lock braking system and electronic stability control, our S60 2.0T was also fitted with a pretty cool virtual torque vectoring system, which brakes the inner wheel when going into a turn at a higher speed, thus minimizing the "torque steer" phenomenon.

On top of that, our car was also fitted with the City Safety system, which automatically brakes the car to a halt at speeds under 30 km/h (18.6 mph) if it detects that you're about to hit the car in front of you. If that isn't enough, we also got to experience Volvo's latest evolution of an intelligent cruise control, which automatically keeps a set gap to the car in front, automatically braking and accelerating from zero to 200 km/h (2.5 to 124 mph).

The new S60 is definitely the most surprising Volvo we've ever driven. The level of driver involvement (and enjoyment) is unparalleled with any other model from the past, except the R-versions naturally. That is probably its greatest quality, the fact that you can completely change your perception of how a Volvo has to handle just by taking a short drive with it. It takes that little time to change your preconceptions, especially if they were firmly planted in your mind after driving dozens of Volvos.

The bad part about the Volvo S60 2.0T is probably the fuel consumption. Better yet, the shame in knowing that you have stuff like efficient direct injection, an almost lag-less turbocharger and a seriously fast double-clutch sequential, while the fuel consumption is as high as a three-liter six-cylinder with and old-school automatic with a torque converter. Except the slightly increased weight, we fail to understand why the S60 2.0T with Powershift isn't as efficient as it should be just looking at the facts.

The ugly bit about it is that it doesn't quite manage to out-shine its competition in every chapter possible. Yes, it's the most dynamic non-R Volvo sedan ever. Yes, it's almost the perfect mix between comfort and sportiness. Yes, it's full of the latest technologies concerning efficiency and safety. In real life though, it only gets neck and neck to its competitors, without even a single chance of obliterating them. And that's too bad, because the potential is definitely there.