EFFORTLESS CHARM
VOLVO’S NEW TWINS ARE PRACTICAL AND COMPELLING
Incredible fit and finish, superb Bowers & Wilkins audio, knurled knobs galore, plush surfaces that extend all the way to the floor: it’s only February, but we may have a winner in the unofficial best car interior stakes.
At some point between Scott McLaughlin’s famously sweary live TV outburst and the introduction of its funky XC40, Volvo has become adept at crafting exquisite cabins. Its newly launched S60 and V60 are no exception. Both are interesting alternatives to the likes of the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Audi A4. That’s an intimidating group of rivals for sure, but Volvo’s pair have a few tricks up their sleeves.
Along with having two body styles — S60 sedan and V60 wagon — Volvo’s mid-sizer has three trim levels and two core powertrains. Momentum, Inscription, and the flagship R-Design denote the three trim levels, while T5 (2.0-litre turbocharged four) and T8 (2.0-litre twin charged plug-in hybrid) denote the two engines. And every model comes with allwheel drive.
Volvo says sedan and wagon pricing across the lineup is identical, but that’s only in part because the sedan is exclusively sold here in R-Design T5/T8 format. That means the entry
level $74,900 Momentum and midspec $79,900 Inscription are wagons only. The red T5 R-Design sedan in our test is priced from $82,900, while the silver T8 plugin wagon is priced from $114,900.
All come standard with radar cruise, Pilot Assist, and blind-spot monitoring — plus dimming mirrors, a hands-free opening tailgate/boot, and more. Opting for an R-Design model adds a suave body-kit, 19in diamond-cut wheels, and Nappa leather buckets along with tech goodies such as parking assist, a 360 degree camera, and four-zone climate control.
From some angles, Volvo’s handsome new pair are sharp value. The Momentum V60 undercuts its BMW 3-Series equivalent at sticker by almost 10 grand, as does the T5 sedan — plus each packs more equipment and all-wheel drive. On the flipside, is the fresh-off-the-boat BMW 330e, which undercuts
Volvo’s T8 by about $25,000. Volvo’s rebuttal to BMW’s undercut uppercut would be to point out the T8’s stronger performance chops. And, it would have a point.
The 192kW/400Nm T5 petrol engine’s 0-100km/h time of 6.3sec in R-Design sedan form is impressive on paper, but in realworld practice is best suited to urban driving and long-distance cruising. Stab the throttle and you’re met with a significant wait for the 8-speed Geartronic automatic to react, followed by strained response from the engine. Once you introduce Volvo’s twin charging into the mix (with a lick of electrification), things get more compelling. The T8’s Polestar Engineered petrol engine alone makes 246kW (54kW more than the T5), and the added electric motor hurls another 65kW into the mix.
With all the petrol engine’s power sent to the front wheels and the electric motor exclusively looking after the rear wheels, a total output of 311kW makes the T8 a surprisingly fun family hauler. Blunt shoves of throttle are met in the T8 with an initial sharp jolt of power, followed by momentary lag and then by a big surge to finish. It’s an oddly addictive sensation that results from an engine balancing electric, turbocharged, and supercharged priorities simultaneously.
Volvo’s twin-charge technology has been around for a generation