Volvo S60 2019 Review -- International

The new Volvo S60 is not the Swede you are thinking of. Its looks and characteristics remain distinctly European but as the first Volvo car to be manufactured in the United States, it now speaks with a Southern drawl.

The S60 is the latest car from Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) which spawned the Volvo XC60 SUV; the upcoming Volvo V60 wagon and the Swedish brand’s 90 Series vehicles, and it arrives at an interesting time for the premium sedan segment which is under mounting pressure from SUVs.

Arriving in Australia early next year (2019), the S60 also faces competition from established German premium rivals including BMW which will introduce the new 3 Series around a similar timeframe.

So has the new US-built Swede got what it takes to stoke buyers interest?

For the first time in Volvo Cars history, the S60 will be launching without a diesel engine, making it the first Volvo line to be available in petrol and hybrid only. Volvo says it is committed to electrification and will be investing in a long-term future beyond the traditional combustion engine. In this cycle plan, diesel simply doesn’t fit.

Four engine options will be available in the Volvo S60 globally, although given an anticipated low sales volume in a tight segment, Volvo Australia may not include all options.

Volvo’s 184kW 2.0-litre turbocharged T5 engine is available asa front-wheel drive entry model, while the T6 AWD model features a 228kW 2.0-litre twin-charged (super and turbocharged) engine.

Two hybrid engines will also be available, Volvo’s T6 twin engine AWD plug-in hybrid which is rated at 253kW and the T8 Twin Engine AWD plug-in hybrid which boasts 288kW and 640Nm.

Volvo’s performance arm, Polestar will offer a boosted version of the T8 hybrid engine which takes max power to 298kW and offers a total combined torque from the engine and motor of 670Nm.

Two upper-range vehicle options were made available at the recent Volvo S60 launch program on the US West Coast and both are expected to make the cut and land in Australia next year.

The Volvo S60 T6 AWD R-Design and Volvo S60 T8 Polestar Engineered won’t be cheap when they arrive but they’ll look seriously smart.

There’s a classy appeal to the exterior design, whether in the R-Design’s red paintwork or the Polestar’s stealth black get up. They’re sporty enough to appeal to younger buyers but not so overtly adorned that older buyers will be put off from purchasing.

The S60’s cabin is styled with sophistication. There’s a good use of high quality materials including nappa leather upholstery, clean lines to the dash and the centre console is thankfully bereft of too much clutter. This is thanks to a streamline approach to tech which sees Volvo’s now trademark portrait touchscreen drive much of the S60’s high tech functionality.

Comfort is exceptional in the front, with supportive seats offering a good level of cushioning including proper side bolstering. They are probably some of the better seats I’ve sat in recently.

In the rear, passengers benefit from a lengthened wheelbase over the outgoing S60. There’s plenty of legroom for adult passengers and a good deal of headroom.

This extra space in the rear is in part thanks to Volvo’s retention of a conventional four-seater-with-boot design in place of the increasingly popular liftback styling that may boost practicality but reduces valuable cabin space and can impact on cabin refinement.

Boot space for this ‘proper’ sedan is close to class leading at 442 litres.

Drivers familiar with the current XC60 will recognise the technology integration highlights in the new Volvo S60. The touchscreen enables operation of most infotainment functions, including satellite navigation and enabled apps. It also controls heating and ventilation controls and the system is easy to learn. Swipe left and right for different page options, and up and down for context based commands.

The new Volvo S60 also plays host to a wide range of safety and driver assistance technologies. Available on the S60 is Pilot Assist, a semi-autonomous drive mode which combines adaptive cruise functionality with steering assist.

City Safety with Autobrake technology is also available on the S60 and, says Volvo, is the only system on the market that recognises pedestrians, cyclists and large animals to assist the driver in avoiding potential collisions. The S60 also includes auto braking to mitigate oncoming collisions.

In practice the Volvo pilot assist system is not quite as smooth as rival systems, delivering a series of small steering inputs to keep the vehicle in lane in place of a smoother operation from a comparable systems from the likes of Mercedes-Benz.

The new Volvo S60 was launched on the winding canyon and hill roads north of Los Angeles towards the coastal celebrity hotspot of Malibu. The roads here are a favourite of ours and gave us the chance to test the dynamic promise of the new sedan along with the responsiveness of its engine and transmission.

Volvo is rightly proud that it has created what it believes is the best-driving Volvo ever. Performance from the 2.0-litre twin-charged engine is encouraging, and its pairing with the eight-speed automatic transmission is ideal. The transmission is a smooth-shifter that moves rapidly through the gears in eco and comfort modes and lengthens its hold on ratios when the car’s dynamic mode is selected.

The engine is not a purist’s dream, but neither is it pedestrian. It strikes a nice balance that’s sporty enough for most drivers with an enthusiastic urge when pushed harder. One area which is a disappointment is the engine note which doesn’t elicit the same big grin as you might expect from Volvo’s German rivals.

I found the all-wheel drive’s chassis to be lively and enjoyable to pilot. Weight transfer is confident and there’s a nice balance that suggests it might be fun to push this car harder than our California Highway Patrol hosts might sanction.

One distinct jarring downside of the S60 test drive was unfortunately the highly-sprung R-Design suspension which delivers a very stiff ride – too stiff to be honest.

Around town and over bumps the stiff suspension was very noticeable, especially from the passenger’s seat. The Volvo S60 doesn’t offer an adaptive suspension set up so there’s no way to alter its damping so what you get is a stiff ride, full stop. I’d be concerned about how the driver and passengers would hold up on Australia’s notoriously pot-holed country roads and over rough corrugations.

The Volvo S60 Polestar Engineered takes the higher output T8 petrol-hybrid engine S60 and gives it some of the Polestar treatment to deliver a sports sedan which is frugal and fast-paced.

In the Polestar Engineered S60, the T8 2.0-litre twin charged four-cylinder engine is combined with a rear mounted 65kW motor and 10.4kwh battery to produce a total output of 298kW and 670Nm.

Volvo Cars’ electric performance arm, Polestar carried out performance engineering on the car’s wheels, brakes, suspension and engine control unit to create the car that sits above the R-Design variant.

Lightweight wheels, upgrade calipers, pads and rotors have been developed for the S60 by Polestar which also added Ohlins shock absorbers (the fronts can be manually adjusted using dials located on the strut towers under the bonnet to manage stiffness).

To designate the S60’s Polestar status, the top-spec model features gold painted Brembo calipers and gold seat belts – gold being Polestar’s new signature colour.

The S60 Polestar Engineered is plug-in electric hybrid that Volvo says will achieve around 20kms of pure electric range on a full charge. Selectable drive modes do allow for pure EV mode (ideal for city driving) and there is also a hybrid mode for every day driving. Select Power mode for sporty driving and there’s a constant AWD mode for driving in low-traction conditions.

When my co-pilot and I took to the wheel of the S60 Polestar Engineered there was little electric range in the battery, a probable result of us lunching in the mountains. On the drive down the mountains, via the hybrid’s regenerative braking capability we were able to add three quarter battery range, the gauge suggesting this would be equivalent to around 13 miles (21km) of pure EV driving.

Braking does take some getting used to in the Volvo S60 Polestar Engineered. In normal driving modes the car pulls up sharply with a slight application of the brake pedal and it feels far from natural.

Volvo said it has tried to strike a balance between the performance braking required for a sports sedan and the regenerative braking required in a hybrid. On first experience, it’s either going to take some more learning of the car, or some finer adjustments from the factory to get the balance right.

Interestingly, when the car’s gear shifter is moved into the more aggressive braking mode which feeds more charge into the battery, the sharp brake feel is not so noticeable and the car is more ‘conventional’ to drive.

As with the conventional Volvo S60, the Polestar Engineered version is comfortable to drive, and well balanced but the suspension still creates a stiffer ride than one might reasonably hope for.

Stiff ride and sharp braking feel aside, the Volvo S60 still feels like a good car. There’s a lot to like about its package and I’d be keen to drive a car locally without the R-Design suspension set up.

In the right configuration, the Volvo S60 may well make for the sort of comfortable sports sedan we still love here in Australia -- even if the SUV practicality of the XC60 is likely to tempt away buyers.

For a company that’s well on its way to a reinvention, the S60 is a sign that Volvo is continuing in the right direction.

2019 Volvo S60 T6 AWD R-Design pricing and specifications:
Price as tested: TBC
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 228kW/400Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.0L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: N/A
Safety Rating: N/A

2019 Volvo S60 T8 Polestar Engineered pricing and specifications:
Price as tested: TBC
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 233kW/430Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Motor: 65kW
Battery: 10.4kwh
Driveline max output: 298kW/670Nm
Fuel: 2.1-2.5/100km (WLTP)
CO2: N/A
Safety Rating: N/A