The 2018 Volvo S60
The S60 is Volvo’s forthcoming compact executive saloon car. What’s interesting about it is that it’s actually Volvo’s first ever car built on American soil. The bods at Volvo say that this is going to be a “true driver’s car” but is it?
Much like many of Volvo’s other models there’s a fair amount of glamour to the way the S60 looks. To be frank, it’s going to need every ounce of this glamour because it’s up against perennial executive cars such as the Audi A4 the BMW 3 Series and the Mercedes Benz C Class. Therefore the question that needs answering is whether this car is more than just a pretty face.
When you climb inside the S60 you get pretty much the same experience as you get in most of Volvo’s other cars and this is a very good thing indeed. Proceedings are dominated by a massive 9-inch touchscreen which just looks fantastic and is pretty easy to find you way around. You also get sumptuous materials and slick switches and this all helps deliver the feeling of quality and exclusivity that customers will demand. There’s enough space in the back for two adults or three if they’re prepared to get a little cosy. The boot isn’t a bad size either though it’s not quite as big as you’d find in the Audi A4 or BMW 3 Series.
Once you get the S60 on the road you’ll soon discover that it feels very similar to a lot of Volvo’s other cars. This is probably because it’s built on the same adaptable platform as the Volvo V60, Volvo V90, Volvo S90, Volvo XC60 and finally the Volvo XC90. It’s neither the most comfortable car in its class or the sharpest in the corners but what it does give you is a really good balance of both abilities. As a result this car always feels secure and civilised in equal measure.
The top level trim, which is neatly termed Polestar Engineered, comes with a fettle suspension that features upgraded adaptable dampers. Adaptable by means of spanners and not with the various driving modes. It also comes with additional structural bracing at the front end and upgraded brakes too. All of this does make this car feel a lot sharper but the ride is a lot firmer so you will need to sacrifice a bit of ride comfort in pursuit of extra agility.
The S60 also represents a little bit of an ethos change for Volvo because this car is going to be the first of the firm’s cars not to be offered with a diesel engine, leaving just petrol and petrol-electric plug-in hybrids. The engine in the car that we tested for this short review was the T6 petrol with all-wheel-drive. Unfortunately, this is an engine that we’re not likely to be getting in the UK anytime soon though an engine that we will be getting is the T8 plug-in hybrid. In US spec this car has a combined output of 450 break horse power (bhp) but this will be knocked down to about 405 bhp for European cars. However, no matter what the case there’s plenty of power and performance and they’re never in short supply. Saying this the slightly strangled nature of the power delivery means it never quite feels as fast as the numbers suggest. Also the slightly all-or-nothing action of the throttle and particularly the brakes means that it can be a little bit difficult to drive smoothly.
The Volvo S60 isn’t perfect but it’s a very appealing car in a number of ways. Most notably its design, its quality, its practicality and its safety. We shouldn’t also forget the fact that it’s just a little bit different from the Audis and BMWs that everybody else drives. The pricing of this car will be key in determining its place in the marketplace though it’s likely to be very competitive and also likely to come with lots of standard kit for your money. If you haven’t yet got your heart set on a 3 Series then you might want to take a serious look at the S60. However, if your wallet can’t quite stretch to the new S60 then take a look at our selection of used Volvo S60 cars for sale on DesperateSeller.co.uk as they’re not bad either.
