Volvo S60 2011 review

Volvo’s new S60 sedan is one very stylish machine and shows yet again just how far the Swedish marque has moved away from the once dowdy (though very practical) cars it used to produce. 

The front of the latest S60 has a strong sporting appearance with quite a few cues to the shape of the pretty little Volvo C30 coupe. The S60 has a domed roof that swoops down in a continuous line to join the back windscreen. 

Mercedes-Benz set the automotive styling scene abuzz when it introduced the CLS four-door coupe a few years back. Volvo follows a similar theme and has produced a coupe like rear end that provides good rear headroom when compared to a more conventional sedan. 

Similarly, the boot space in the Volvo is good despite the fact that the car we reviewed had all-wheel drive, something that can rob space under the luggage area, but doesn’t do so in this case.

Inside the cabin there is the typically simple Swedish design with an elegance that appeals to many owners. Volvo is trying to push upmarket into the BMW, Benz, Audi league, so high quality materials are used throughout and the high Standard in all models of finish will impress potential buyers.

The front seats are large, comfortable and support in all the right places. The Swedes do like their comfort as their cars are asked to cover long distances and some of the roads have seen better days. The new Volvo S60 takes this comfort to a higher level as part of the push upmarket.

As mentioned, the headroom at the rear is good despite the swooping sporting lines. Legroom is also a feature of the car and four adults can get settled inside without having to compromise in this department. There is a seat for a fifth person in the back seat but the centre spot is probably best left to one of the children. Interior stowage is good, with the usual spots in the doors and centre console being complemented by Volvo’s famed extra space behind the lower section of the centre control panel.

The Volvo S60 T5 is a quality medium size sedan with strong performance and plenty of kit.

The driving position of the Volvo S60 is good and there’s minimum interruption to the forward/side view as the windscreen pillars aren’t as wide as in many others modern cars.

A smooth, refined ride is very much noticed the moment you get this big Swede up and running and there’s little increase in noise levels on Australia’s notorious coarse-chip road surfaces.

The combination of interior comfort, quiet running and good road-holding means the all-new Volvo S60 is an excellent machine for long distance touring. Australian country cruisers will love the way it swallows the miles and lets them step out after a long trip feeling fresh and relaxed. 

Even when pushed hard the all-wheel drive system gives the big Volvo S60 sedan a near neutral feel. It has quick, positive reactions to the steering that will please the keen driver. 

Volvo S60 comes with a choice of four and six-cylinder petrol engines and a five-cylinder turbo-diesel. The powerful 300 horsepower, 224 kW, turbo-petrol straight-six is being heavily promoted in Volvo’s advertising campaign for its sporty characteristics. However, the S60 we reviewed was the turbo-diesel, which displaces 2.4 litres and produces 151 kW. 

The Volvo turbo-diesel is a grunty unit with torque of 420 Nm all the way from 1500 to 3500 rpm. So unless you are really ringing this car’s neck in acceleration it will be running at its peak torque all of the time. And you can feel it, there’s a relentless surge of energy from the engine. Even better the turbo lag has been minimised to the point where you barely notice it.

The Volvo S60 proved stable and well balanced and generally provided a quiet ride, though some coarse-chip surfaces did create quite a bit of road-tyre noise. Ride comfort was very good and the Swedes’ love of quality seats pleased us yet again. 

Volvo Australia feels that its all-new S60 sedan is right up with the Audi, BMW and Mercedes models in this luxury class. The all-wheel drive model that we reviewed is close to meeting that claim in the dynamics department. Image is everything when you get to the lifestyle side of the buying decision. Once buyers do take a test drive in this latest Volvo S60 the smart ones may well lift their image perceptions of Volvo and seriously consider this stylish new machine.

Model Range

S60 T5 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-door sedan: $51,950 (automatic)
S60 T5 R-Design 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-door sedan: $56,150 (automatic)
S60 D5 2.4-litre turbo-diesel four-door sedan: $57,950 (automatic)
S60 T6 3.0-litre turbo-petrol four-door sedan: $64,950 (automatic)
S60 T6 R-Design 3.0-litre turbo-petrol four-door sedan: $60,150 (automatic