Driving Impressions

Bopping along a highway, the S60's role in Volvo's pantheon becomes clear. The Swedes clearly mean for this car to be seen as a sports sedan in the same general class as the BMW 3 Series or Mercedes C-Class, leaders of this segment. But like everyone else who takes a shot at the performance of the BMW 3 Series, Volvo falls short. Exactly how short depends greatly on which Volvo engine you choose and how hard you push the car. The S60 with front-wheel drive and the S60 AWD with all-wheel drive have a significantly different ride and steering feel. We tested both models, and we'll describe the front-wheel drive first. The suspension is tuned more for a comfortable ride than for quick maneuvers. In high-speed ripply corners, the S60 T5 with front-wheel drive lets its limits be known early, as the steering definitely lags behind the momentum delivered by the turbocharged engine, which zooms the car forward. There is some noticeable body lean, the feeling exaggerated in right-hand turns by the fact that there's no good place to brace your right knee, so your foot doesn't stay flat on the gas pedal. The car feels big when driven hard around corners like that--oddly, almost like a '90s version of a '60s muscle car. The relatively long throw of the five-speed gearbox adds to the retro feel. From inside, the S60 doesn't feel physically big, but when you get it going, it grows. The fact that its shape doesn't allow you to see the four fender corners adds to the illusion. The upside to the softish suspension is that the ride is excellent, even over nasty bumps, even with the optional 17-inch wheels, fitted with Pirelli P6 all-season 235/45HR17 radials. The fact that you pay for your comfort in the corners is merely an indication that the emphasis is more on sedan than on sports. One thing you can say for the S60 is that it definitely engages the driver, because you have to work to stay with it, and pay attention to the steering wheel. But in a straight line at speed, even high speeds, it's extremely steady as long as the road is smooth. A heavy application of power can be a little tricky on some surfaces because the front wheels have to look after the propulsion and the steering at the same time. In other words, it suffers from torque steer. There's even reverse torque steer, when you back off the throttle very quickly. And if you're stopping in first gear, and turning at the same time, the steering gets heavy. The T5 produces prodigious thrust from its high-pressure turbocharger, but it doesn't really come on until 4000 rpm. It's not turbo lag, because the lag is too long for that; mash your foot to the floor in any gear at 3000 rpm, and it won't impress you until the revs get to 4000, at which time it might even get you in trouble because the power comes on so strong. But if you're ready for it, it's way fun. So you need to keep the revs up to keep the engine responsive. Fifty mph in fourth gear is 2500 rpm, and you'll almost always have to downshift to third gear to pass on a two-lane. One of the great features of Volvo's turbocharged engines is that, if you're driving sensibly, there's little penalty in terms of fuel economy. When equipped with the manual transmission, the T5 gets 28/23 mpg, which is the same as the 2.4T, and just one point down from the highway rating for the 2.4. As for the transmission and brakes, they get less than stellar marks. The shifter has a longish throw and is not particularly smooth, sometimes even a bit clunky. And the brakes are soft, which makes it hard to coordinate heel-and-toe downshifts, for starters. We initially were impressed with the smoothness of the ABS, but then realized that maybe the reason they were smooth was because they weren't very aggressive. We didn't feel thrown forward in the seat from intense stopping, as we have with other sports sedans, such as the BMW 3 Series. As for the AWD, the differences can be pinpointed to firmer suspension and steering. V

Final Word

The S60 handles really well when you get it going, but getting it going depends greatly on which engine you choose. If you like lots of launch and passing power, avoid the base engine.