Volvo V60 T5 2011 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $54,950
Options fitted (not included in above price): Reversing camera $795, Volvo Guard Alarm $850, Blind Spot Identification System (BLIS) $1275, Clean Zone interior package $550, heated front seats $325, metallic paint $1550
Crash rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP)
Fuel: 95 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 8.7
CO2 emissions (g/km): 205
Also consider: Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon, Audi A4 Avant

About our ratings

On first approach, the Volvo V60 not only looks like it's moving, it even looks like it's cornering -- while parked. Rarely has the stylist's art translated so well to a wagon, but the V60 on test -- a T5 variant finished in Saville Grey -- is not just about aesthetics. It's a car that provides a fair level of utility in a package that's also very capable on the road.

The V60 T5’S 2.0-litre turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder engine is an excellent unit that will appeal to buyers who like their fours to be willing, refined, torquey and charismatic.

Happy to keep pulling all the way up to the redline, the engine won't have you gritting teeth as it does so. There's no thrashing at all; far from it. It offers a throaty exhaust note that is music to the ears, but the engine is conversely very quiet at open-road speeds. In fact, there's very little to hear from the V60 T5 while cruising on freeways; a slight rustle of wind is about the full extent of it.

The engine is coupled to a six-speed dual-clutch Powershift transmission sourced from Getrag. Generally a very competent box, it did betray its technical traits with a couple of thumps during the week in our possession -- usually occurring as it changes up, just as the driver stands on the accelerator pedal.

In addition, the transmission is slow to change down at times, even when called upon to shift manually. Most of the time, however, these issues won't crop up in day-to-day driving -- and the majority of drivers will find the Powershift transmission preferable to conventional automatics.

Overall, the drivetrain works very well and traction for this front-wheel drive car is quite exceptional. Front-end grip is surprisingly good – even with 177kW and 320Nm under your right foot it takes some brutality to break traction.

The front wheels also hold on hard when cornering. There's no nastiness in the handling or roadholding; accelerating out of corners prompts practically no change of line and there was no sense of weight transfer or camber change at the rear.

Given the car's decent engine output, you'd expect some vices to be felt through the wheel, but there was no noticeable torque steer at any point and steering response was on the mark. But with all that good stuff to note, what is really pleasing about the V60 is its very communicative steering.

One downside is the ride comfort, which some will find too firm. It's a sign that Volvo has had to make some concessions in suspension tuning of the front-drive V60 wagon to approach the dynamic ability of its all-wheel drive models. Certainly the S60 T6 this reviewer drove recently offered a better compromise, but if front drive doesn't bother you and you can live with a little less compliance in life, the V60's dynamic setup is commendable.

Volvo has made much of its City Safety system. Normally, in seven-day tests, it's a given that reviewers will avoid trying out the claims made for any safety system that aims to avoid crashes.

But the V60 did provide an unexpected opportunity to assess City Safety. Coasting up to a boomgate on the exit from carsales’ HQ’s underground car park, the driver anticipated the boom rising as soon as the loop in the concrete detected the metal of the car's body. City Safety didn't care for the driver's impatience and clamped down hard on the brakes a fraction of a second before the boom rose. It also displayed a message explaining to the driver that the system had activated.

It's nice to know that the car comes with a system that will look after you and the car's front panels while you're floundering around for loose change/a cigarette/the next CD for the audio system.

From a packaging standpoint, criticism follows the same general pattern as with the S60. Some enthusiastic drivers will wonder why this car doesn't offer shift paddles, for instance, and this writer still doesn't like the wiper and indicator stalks, but overall the interior is stylish and well finished, with generally well conceived location and design for the instruments and controls.

For a car at this price, the V60 offers an excellent level of ergonomic flexibility. For instance, the external mirrors can be set up in the vehicle settings to tilt downwards when the vehicle is backing. The level of tilt was too severe and didn't suit this reviewer, but it was quite straightforward to disable the function -- for either mirror or both. You could spend a month ploughing through the different comfort and convenience facilities the V60 has to offer.

Contrary to expectations, the wagon roofline doesn't make egress from the rear any safer than in the case of the S60 sedan. Rear-seat occupants will still need to duck heads on the way out of the car, although it should be noted that the headroom in the rear of the V60, once seated back there, is plentiful for adults.

Kneeroom is good too, although tall adults won't find the legroom to stretch out as much as they might like.

Plainly the V60 offers a more practical package than the S60, courtesy of its wagon body. As with the sedan, the V60 is not an especially long car, but the boot space is usefully large and wouldn't fall far short of that available in a typical compact SUV.

There's a tyre repair kit under a lift-out bin in the floor, so while the V60 lacks the folding divider to separate smaller items, the wagon can hold in place said smaller items in the lower bin.

And that's a classic example of the way Volvo has found some balance between practicality and all the non-wagon attributes we appreciate in our cars -- whether they're comfort, style or driving enjoyment.

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