Stunning Swede

Volvo has dramatically changed as a carmaker, and all for the better. It’s no more just a brand married to safety; it’s now associated with beautiful automobiles, vehicles one would love to drive and own. The transformation began with the handsome XC60 city centric SUV, which is now widely regarded as the best in its segment. But, now with its new sedan, one that competes against the likes of the Audi A4, the BMW 3-series and the Mercedes-Benz C-class, the S60, Volvo has proven that it’s not just ready to compete with the big Germans, but beat them at their game. We drove both the petrol and diesel version of the S60.

Highlights:

The S60 comes with the option of two engines - a petrol and a diesel – and both are stunning performers.

The 3-litre, six cylinder petrol is a turbocharged engine that makes 304bhp and 440Nm of torque. The 2.4-litre, five cylinder diesel meanwhile makes 205bhp and 420Nm of torque.

The S60 is available in two trim levels for the diesel, Kinetic and Summum while the petrol is only sold in the Summum trim.

Even in Kinetic trim, the S60 is loaded with features with the Summum along with the options on offer, eclipses not just its immediate competition, but cars in higher segment as well in terms of features, be it comfort, safety or technology.

The S60 is easily the best looking car one can buy in its segment. It’s modern looking, has a lovely mix of curves and squared off lines that give it both a luxury and sporty aura. You still can’t mistake it for anything else but a Volvo, but a Volvo that clearly belongs to a younger, style conscious generation.

Inside too, the feel of luxury is omnipresent. In the Summum trim we drove, the insides are dominated by colours like ash black and beige with a good dose of matt finished aluminium all round. There’s lots of leather too donning the seats and door trim and various textures. It all adds up to give the S60 a touch a class missing in the competition. The S60’s interiors are easily the most inviting in its class, as well.

To boot, it’s packed with features. Besides the safety equipment we have already seen on the XC60 like lane departure warning, emergency brake assist, rain sensing wipers, stability program driver alert system and many others, it also gets adaptive cruise control that works from 0kmph-200kmph! The S60 has a lot of comfort equipment too.

There’s keyless entry and start, electrically adjustable front seats, a two zone climate control with AC vents for rear passengers, a high-end stereo with fantastic output and Bluetooth connectivity as well.

The only area where the S60 fails to lead the competition when seated inside is the space on offer. The kneeroom in particular isn’t as good, as say the 3-series. But, the seats are comfy; these are large, cushy and well supportive.

The S60, like we mentioned earlier comes with two engine options, a five cylinder, 205bhp, 420Nm diesel engine and a six cylinder, 304bhp, turbocharged petrol. Here’s how they feel –

2.4-litre, D5, diesel

This 2.4-litre diesel isn’t the most refined or quiet in the segment the S60 operates in. But, it sure has enough thrust to catch you unawares. The engine goes about its business in quite a calm fashion when driven in a relaxed fashion; the gearshifts are unobtrusive; the revs never rise above 2000rpm and there’s a sense of tranquillity inside the cabin. However, if you do need to overtake in a hurry, suddenly, stamping the throttle right to the floor doesn’t give you an immediate burst of acceleration as one expects. The gearbox takes a little while - longer than we would have liked, honestly – to downshift to an appropriate gear. But, once it does, the S60 does get on with things in a pretty powerful manner, then on. It gets to 100kmph in 7.1 seconds and onto a top speed of 220kmph.

3-litre, T6, turbo petrol

But, compared to the shove the turbocharged, six cylinder petrol, offers, the diesel’s acceleration feels pretty pedestrian. The petrol takes 6.1 seconds to complete the 0-100kmph dash and has a limited top speed of 250kmph! It’s not just the manic acceleration that makes the S60 with the T6 engine special. The engine itself is refined and free revving. It can also double up as a relaxed cruiser providing enough grunt even when driven below the 3000rpm mark. But, truth be told, with its muted roar, the slingshot acceleration, it’s impossible to drive this one sedately.

The diesel S60 follows the front wheel drive format, while the petrol T6 sends power to all four wheels. Naturally, the petrol then feels a lot more confident around corners. It’s not exactly a stiffly setup car, so it does roll about. But, the All Wheel Drive system lends the car with such prodigious amounts of grip; one has to try very hard indeed to scare oneself. Then of course, the S60’s steering is a delight to use as well.

It’s slightly heavy, so one might have to work their hand muscles a bit, but compared to the 3-series, it’s still pretty relaxing. Moreover, the steering is a quick one and gets the car pointing in the intended direction sooner and with lesser effort than we anticipated making the S60 feel very light on its feet. The feedback is good too and the driver knows exactly what he car’s upto.

Besides grip, every other bit mentioned above holds true for the diesel car as well. As an added benefit though, you get a more cosseting ride on the diesel S60. At slow speeds nothing seeps inside the cabin, and even at higher speeds, it’s only the more pronounced irregularities like deep potholes, or squared off speedbreakers or raised manhole covers that get the better of the car.

Overall, then, the S60 manages the ride and handling balance very well indeed.

It’s a young man’s car, is the new S60. It looks contemporary and pleasing. It’s a car you would love to be seen in, and with the stares it draws, you will be noticed, no question. Moreover, compared to the competition, the S60 offers more, in almost every department. Yes, it might be a little short on rear space, but that is a very small price to pay, especially when you can get around this problem by moving the front passenger seat right upfront when been chauffeured around. Moreover, be it performance, the equipment on offer, the ride and handling balance, the build quality or sheer driving pleasure, the S60 delivers all, and handsomely at that. As we see it then, the S60 should be the default choice in this segment, no two ways about it.