If you find yourself wondering "Whatever happened to Volvo?", you can't be blamed. A status symbol of sorts as the thinking man and woman's car in the 70s, 80s and 90s, ownership changes--from the original Swedes to Ford and then to Geely of China--some less than stellar vehicles (the S40, essentially a re-badged Mitsubishi Carisma) and a loss of focus in what Volvo stands for have driven Volvo's sales to the point of near-invisibility.
The phrase “Mid-size Volvo sedan” no doubt causes some eyes to glaze over, especially for those who think they know what Volvo’s all about. But the key is to ask “Which mid-size Volvo sedan?”
Yes, they’re all called the S60, but that car comes in three different turbocharged flavors these days: The T5, a 2.5-liter 5-cylinder with 250 horsepower; the T6 AWD, which adds half a liter, one cylinder, two more driving wheels and 50 additional ponies; and the T6 AWD R-Design, which pulls 325 horsepower out of the same 3-liter six. And that’s the one we’re talking about here.
Volvo's been going out of its way to brand the new S60 as "The Naughty Volvo" (see video above). Guess it depends on your definition of "naughty". The S60 is not for kids, it's fast and fun, it's shapely.....
The days of the boring Volvo are dead, let's give the marketing people that much. And that's on looks alone. In a week at the wheel in an example provided by Sanderson Volvo in Phoenix, the S60 T6 AWD just got more and more desirable. The beauty here is more than skin-deep.
With 300 horsepower, the S60 is responsive and downright quick. Steering is direct and immediate. There is no tradeoff of ride versus handling...the balance is perfect.
And the interior is an exceptionally pleasant place to engage in all that pleasurable driving. A long way from the plain-jane interior of the old Volvo 240, the designers have managed to give the eye a constant level of stimulation without losing the functionality...everything is exactly where your brain and your hand expect it to be.
What about safety? Volvo's hallmark? Don't worry...it's there...from the basic stout structure of the car to the highest levels of technology that (unlike a lot of cars we've tested) manage to do their jobs without being intrusive.
And, unlike virtually every other car we've tried it in, the adaptive cruise control, which adjusts speed to maintain distance between you and the car in front of you, is flawless. It...and the other tech in the car...simply never put a foot wrong.
Price? The front wheel drive model (with 50 fewer horsepower) starts at $30.975...all-wheel drive at $37,700. Optioned like the one we drove...mid-40s and well worth it.
EPA mileage estimates: 20 city/30 highway for the FWD, 18/26 for the AWD.
So...go with "naughty" if you must. But we think the Volvo S60 T6 AWD is really @#$%! nice.
