The executive sedan segment is a cut-throat environment where being fluent in German appears to be a prerequisite, judging by the relative lack of success of the Japanese contenders from Lexus and Infiniti thus far. One can easily add the Swedes to the group of unsuccessful hopefuls, but then again there hasnt really been a serious effort from the land of ABBA and flat-pack furniture for years. Volvos S60 has always been a left-field (and oddly sized) choice, while the less said of Saabs efforts the better. But recently each new Volvo has represented a marked improvement over what had gone before, and one senses that this Viking at least is eyeing a bigger portion of the spoils. How does the S60 T6 Elite fare? Lets find out
Svelte and athletic
Following its last facelift, the S60 sedan has matured into an attractive machine that cuts quite a distinctive figure in a car park full of BMWs, Audis and Mercedes-Benzs. Compared with the first iteration of the current S60, the bonnet has become noticeably more sculptured and the grille has grown in side, giving the S60 a confident demeanour.
The overall shape is still attractive, and the detailing added in the update endows the S60 with a more upmarket look examples of this are the striking 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, active bi-xenon headlamps and the LED daylight running lamps. A healthy dollop of sportiness comes courtesy of the dual integrated exhaust outlets and a neat bootlid spoiler.
Feature-laden interior
The cabin follows a markedly different design philosophy compared with the current generation of German sedans. Volvos ageing centre stack control panel, inspired by a top-end hi-fi remote (from early in the millennium), is as cluttered as ever and will definitely not be appearing in future-generation Volvos, as evidenced by the award-winning new XC90. In other areas, however, the S60 is bang up to date. The instrumentation panel is particularly neat and made up of configurable TFT screens. Depending on your choice of ECO, Performance or Elegance driving modes, the dominant colour switches from green to red to traditional white on black. The very neat seven-inch info-tainment screen housed on top of the facia follows suit. There are lots of features to explore on this model, courtesy of a very long standard specification list.
Both the front seats boast electrical adjustment, with the drivers also offering memory functions. The leather upholstery feels particularly premium and works well with a cabin finished in sturdy materials build quality is excellent. Chrome and graphite trim inserts add some depth to the finishes.
Theres also a high-performance sound system with eight speakers and a 4 x 40W amplifier, in addition to the usual connectivity features such as USB/aux and Bluetooth. Auto lights and wipers, and cruise control are fitted, too. As is to be expected from Volvo, safety has been a high priority, with even an advanced feature such as City Safety (active braking) being standard.
An area in which Volvo has indeed started to speak German is on the optional features list, where a number of attractive packages are offered, including a Premium Pack for R21 500 that includes such niceties such as a navigation system, front/rear park assist and a Harman Kardon premium sound system. To get a blind-spot information system (BLIS) and rear cross traffic alert costs a further R8 000. Heated front seats costs R1 700 and you can extend the heating function to the rear seats for another R1 700
Turbo- and supercharged
This particular derivative of the S60 features Volvos new 2,0-litre turbo- and supercharged four-cylinder engine. Volvo is preparing an entire generation of such engines, with the emphasis on marrying performance with efficiency. With 225 kW on tap at 5 700 rpm, this promises to be a fiery Swede, but in actual fact it is the 400 Nm of torque, available from 2 100 to 4 500 rpm that is more important. Coupled with a smooth eight-speed automatic transmission, this S60 feels rather eager to respond to throttle inputs at lower engine speeds. Off the mark, however, it doesnt feel quite as fast as the power figures may suggest, but nevertheless 0-100kph in 5.9 seconds is plenty fast enough. Still we were expecting more punch from 225 kW
Volvo claims a combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 6.4 L/100 km, which is quite remarkable for this size/weight of car with so much (claimed) performance. Predictably, we couldnt match the manufacturers figure, but a real-world consumption of around 8L/100km for this type of car is not to be sniffed at.
Fast cruiser
Volvo continues to offer its six-cylinder engine in the all-wheel drive S60 T6 model, but this derivative is front-wheel driven. Boot the throttle and the steering wheel goes light as all the power reaches the front wheels. All-round body control and grip is generally good, but not quite good enough to trouble the Germans. In fact, the S60 becomes less impressive the harder you drive it, with pronounced understeer and a transmission that probably cant match the responsiveness of some rivals. It becomes a bit ragged when pushed to the limit.
No the S60 T6 prefers a smoother touch. Become more measured with your throttle and steering inputs, and it does very well indeed. It is a very comfortable and swift way to cover long distances, with a nicely supple suspension and quiet cabin. Rear seat passengers are well catered for, with good legroom and ventilation outlets positioned the B-pillars. Now the S60 may start to sound like a great family sedan, but keep in mind that the boot is really rather cramped. The main problem is the shallowness of it, coupled with quite a narrow through-loading aperture (the rear seats can fold down).
Conclusion and Summary
The Volvo S60 T6 is one of those cars that you want to do well, but which doesnt quite come together in the end. The new engine certainly improves throttle responsiveness, but never feels as powerful as the figures make it appear. The cabin is modern, well-built and tech laden in places, but frustratingly out of date elsewhere and then theres the price. Against some big-name rivals, the Volvo looks like a strong contender on paper but we think the S60 is still a car playing catch-up. With the new XC90 Volvo has shown its next-generation cars are very well worth looking out and waiting for.
Volvo S60 T6 Elite Price in South Africa
The Volvo S60 T6 Elite costs R556 000 and comes with a five-year/100 000km warranty and five-year/100 000km Maintenance plan.
Team Opinion
This S60 is a very likeable car, but its definitely representative of a brand in transition. The powertrain is modern, but the underpinnings not quite so. The same can be said of some parts of the cabin, too. Against the established front-runners in this category the S60 T6 faces a very tough challenge. – Ashley Oldfield
“In T6 Elite guise the Volvo S60 is a potent and elegant cruiser. Theres plenty of grunt on tap, but fuel economy is not unreasonable. Its a good car, but its getting on a bit. Look to the Ford Fusion for a more modern sedan experience” – David Taylor
We Like: Build quality, standard specification, safety features, comfort
We dont Like: cluttered control interface, price
Also consider: Lexus IS350, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, Infiniti Q50, Ford Fusion
Compare the Volvo S60 T6 Elite with the Lexus IS350 EX and Mercedes-Benz C300 Avantgarde here
