Volvo S60 2011 review

Volvo’s all-new S60 has a strong sporting appearance, with a shapely front and a domed roof that swoops down in a continuous line to where it meets the rear windscreen. This gives it a look that’s almost four-door coupe, but clever design means it has good rear headroom, something that’s not always a given in this class of car. 

Inside, there’s 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. We feel these will impress potential buyers who are considering a Swede for the first time.

The front seats are large, comfortable and provide good support. Swedish people put comfort high in their list of priorities because they often cover long distances and some of the roads have seen better days. Sounds just like Australia, doesn’t it?

Legroom is also a feature of the midsize Volvo and four adults can get comfortable without having to compromise. There is a seat for a fifth person in the back seat but, as is generally the way these days, the rear-centre seating spot is probably best left to children. 

Interior stowage is good, with the door pockets and centre console having a decent volume. The frontal storage areas are complemented by extra space behind the lower section of the centre control panel that’s been a feature of Volvo interior design for some time.

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

A smooth, refined ride is appreciated in most conditions, with not too much increase in noise levels on Australia’s notorious coarse-chip road surfaces. The Volvo S60 proved stable and well balanced and it has quick, positive reactions to the steering. While not really a sports sedan, it comes closer than you might expect considering that it uses front-wheel drive. 

Boot space in the new Volvo S60 is good and there’s a large opening that makes for simple loading.

An all-new engine has just been introduced to the S60 range. Drivers who don’t know anything about this engine will love its smoothness and acceleration and the way it responds to the throttle. They will be amazed to discover this four-cylinder powerplant has a capacity of just 1.6 litres, it really does feel as though there’s at least 2.0 litres of engine under that shapely bonnet.

During our road testing we found the petrol consumption to be in the seven to eight litres per hundred kilometres range, with around town work seeing this increase, but still stay comfortably under 10 litres per hundred. These are excellent figures for an engine with sporty performance and all the safety that hard acceleration provides.

Volvo Australia feels that its latest S60 sedan is right up with the Audi, BMW and Mercedes models in this luxury class. However, image is everything in this class, and we feel the Volvo doesn’t quite rank up there with the big names at this time. But the Swedish marque is getting closer and it will be interesting to ask ourselves this question again a few years down the track. 

Model Range

S60 T5 2.0-litre petrol four-door sedan: $51,950 (automatic)
S60 T5 R Design 2.0-litre petrol four-door sedan: $56,150 (automatic)
S60 D5 AWD 2.4-litre diesel four-door sedan: $57,950 (automatic)
S60 T6 AWD 3.0-litre petrol four-door sedan: $64,950 (automatic)
S60 T6 AWD R Design 3.0-litre petrol four-door sedan: $69,150 (automatic)