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EXPERT RATING
8.0
Neil Dowling
Contributing Journalist
31 Mar 2012
4 min read
0 Comments

I hated school. All I learned was that the meek shall inherit the earth, great things come in small packages and Volvo's are boxy and boring. Oh, and pie-ar-squared is 3.14. [sic]

That stuff is either wrong or useless. Especially the bit about the Volvo, though in the case of the S60 T4, perhaps the small-engined version is something great in a small package. The T4 will shatter generations of ideals based on the formula that engine capacity equals performance.

Volvo isn't alone on this thought - see what Ford, Mercedes and Volkswagen Group are doing - but there's no argument that this 1.6-litre petrol-fuelled mid-size S60 sedan is almost the perfect car, blending economy with excellent cabin space, top-notch build quality and safety, lots of features within a pretty body design, and is even sporty. Stick that in your classroom.

VALUE

A Swedish car for $48,990 is pretty attractive. Even though the car's made in Belgium and Volvo is owned by Geely of China, the S60 is heavily ingrained with Swedish fanatical attention to detail, ergonomic simplicity, harmonious styling and durable engineering. But no sense of humour, of course.

The hardest bit here is trying to find rivals that have the same mix of style, features, performance, quality and safety. Goodies include City Safety (see safety section below), leather, quality audio, Bluetooth, alloy wheels and so on. It's even a great drive.

DESIGN

The S60 looks compact yet is actually relatively roomy and manages to look distinctive on the road. In fact, its styling adds a few thousand dollars to the actual price. Cabin treatment is as subtle yet elegant as Ikea loungeroom furniture - but you don't have to assemble it yourself - with an uncomplicated switchgear design that doesn't confuse the driver.

The S60 seats five adults - with only tall people objecting to the headroom of the rear seat - with a large boot. Unfortunately it does n't have a spare wheel which takes off a lot of bonus points.

TECHNOLOGY

The big one is the drivetrain, with the tiny 1.6-litre shared with Ford Focus (in Europe) under the EcoBoost name and delivering a hefty 132kW/240Nm. It is the sister of the 2-litre EcoBoost also used in Volvos and Fords and, in its smallest guise, is just as impressive.

The little four drives a six-speed dual-clutch transmission (also used by Ford) which delivers quick, seamless upshifts that ensures little momentum is lost between the cogs. Works beautifully.

SAFETY

Volvo's acclaimed City Safety - which is now being copied or being bought by other carmakers - is a boon for motorists and insurance companies. Just don't hold your breath for a big premium reduction. It works by cameras and radar to detect an object in front of the car.

At speeds of up to about 30km/h, it will automatically brake the car before it hits any object, such as in a traffic queue. This goes with a five-star crash rating, lots of anti-slip and stability control systems, and six airbags. It's what you expect from Volvo.

DRIVING

Love that engine. Despite its size, it's not a revver and has plenty of strong low-end torque. The six gears also help. The dual-clutch does have its moments when it gets lost between ratios so, to maximise performance end ensure the engine stays on heat, it's best to manually use the gearshifter.

So it's surprisingly quick and delivers almost sporty performance that's matched by a subtle exhaust growl. The front-drive layout doesn't detract from handling, either, with precise cornering feel and a nice, flat cornering stance. Matched to that is the comfort of the wide, leather-trimmed seats and the ergonomic driving position. Rear parking sensors are standard and vital given the shape of the boot.

VERDICT

Small works so well in this car that unless you regularly cart lots of people or tow a boat, it's a better bet than the 2-litre T5 version of the same car. Nice $3000 saving, too.

VOLVO S60 T4

Price: $48,990
Warranty: 3 years, unlimited km
Resale: 56%
Service Interval: 15,000km or 12 months
Economy: 7.4 l/100km; 173g/km CO2
Safety Equipment: six airbags, ESC, ABS, EBD, EBA, TC.
Crash rating: 5 star
Engine: 132kW/240Nm 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo-petrol
Transmission: Six-speed dual-clutch auto
Body: 4-door, 5 seats
Dimensions: 4628 (L); 1865mm (W); 1484mm (H); 2776mm (WB)
Weight: 1495kg
Tyre size: 235/45R17
Spare tyre: none

Volvo S60 2012: D3

Engine Type Diesel Turbo 5, 2.0L
Fuel Type Diesel
Fuel Efficiency 5.9L/100km (combined)
Seating 5
Price From $11,660 - $15,620
Safety Rating

Pricing Guides

$11,717
Based on 10 cars listed for sale in the last 6 months.
LOWEST PRICE
$8,985
HIGHEST PRICE
$16,990
Neil Dowling
Contributing Journalist
GoAutoMedia Cars have been the corner stone to Neil’s passion, beginning at pre-school age, through school but then pushed sideways while he studied accounting. It was rekindled when he started contributing to magazines including Bushdriver and then when he started a motoring section in Perth’s The Western Mail. He was then appointed as a finance writer for the evening Daily News, supplemented by writing its motoring column. He moved to The Sunday Times as finance editor and after a nine-year term, finally drove back into motoring when in 1998 he was asked to rebrand and restyle the newspaper’s motoring section, expanding it over 12 years from a two-page section to a 36-page lift-out. In 2010 he was selected to join News Ltd’s national motoring group Carsguide and covered national and international events, launches, news conferences and Car of the Year awards until November 2014 when he moved into freelancing, working for GoAuto, The West Australian, Western 4WDriver magazine, Bauer Media and as an online content writer for one of Australia’s biggest car groups. He has involved himself in all aspects including motorsport where he has competed in everything from motocross to motorkhanas and rallies including Targa West and the ARC Forest Rally. He loves all facets of the car industry, from design, manufacture, testing, marketing and even business structures and believes cars are one of the few high-volume consumables to combine a very high degree of engineering enlivened with an even higher degree of emotion from its consumers.
About Author
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Pricing Guide
$8,985
Lowest price, based on CarsGuide listings over the last 6 months.
For more information on
2012 Volvo S60
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