Introduction

Volvo's S60 brings the Swedish firm's safety legacy and standards to consumers for whom the S40 is too small and the S80 too big. Not surprisingly, the S60 also fits between those models in price -- starting at $27,125 but running to more than $36,000 for a loaded S60 AWD. Volvo's S60 offers an alternative to BMW's 3 Series sedans. S60 combines the S80's stylish shape with all those safety features that have made Volvo famous over the years. Introduced for model year 2001, the S60 replaced the S70.

Walkaround

There's a "Honey, I shrunk the S80" look to the S60, which is okay since the biggest and most expensive Volvo sedan is widely felt to be handsome in that Lars-the-hockey-player-in-a-cable-knit sweater kind of way. There is certainly no sense of the famous old "boxy but safe" styling that Volvo single-handedly championed for decades. The S60's general shape predates the S80, so the bigger car is actually the copy. Volvo crafted this shape back in 1994 but lacked the funds to build both, so they went with the more profitable S80. The man who led the S60's design team, a Hungarian named Geza Loczi, likes to say that its exterior shape is ''the essence of contemporary Scandinavian design," whatever that means. It seems compact at first glance, and there's a hunched-shoulder look to the part behind the rear doors, which makes it seem like it's a hockey player ready to lead a charge up the ice.

Interior Features

Overall, the S60 interior is handsome and comfortable. The seats are cushy and covered in nice pigskin-type leather; however, you tend to slide around a bit in them. The leather-wrapped steering wheel has audio and other controls. The dashboard has a nice flowing shape, and attractive wood trim is used sparingly, on the glovebox lid and on all four doors. The quality of the material used to cover other surfaces is good. The gauges are attractive with their flat gray background, and easy to read, while the switches are intuitive and easy to use. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls are well designed, with big buttons that use Volvo's clever metaphoric design to direct the airflow. Electric window buttons are conveniently mounted on the door and feature auto down, and the inside door handles are easy to grab. The radio will require the owner's manual to understand, however. And the center console is awkward to reach, as it's positioned rearward. The cupholders mounted just forward of this console have a flimsy lid covering them. There's another mini-cupholder on the center dash. Also in that area, the manual shift lever has a goofy looking silver plastic cover at its base; because the car's leather is so nice, a traditional boot would look so much classier. But perhaps this unusual touch is what's meant by the essence of Scandinavian design. There's good interior space up front, but getting into the back seat requires a duck of the head, and an average-sized male will be short of legroom. To get the swoopy shape, Volvo had to make certain design decisions that slightly constrict the trunk opening. The trunk itself is roomy and deep, so many smaller bags will fit, but big hard-sided trunks might not go in sideways. If you fold down the 60/40 rear seat and front passenger seat, you can carry something quite long.