Our cars: Volvo S60 T8 Plug-in hybrid
Does hybrid saloon have enough storage for everyday life?
IT’S easy to fall into the trap of thinking about the Volvo S60 T8 purely in terms of its plug-in hybrid powertrain. Thanks to its turbocharged and supercharged petrol engine turning the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox while a battery-fed electric motor drives the rear axle, I’m constantly aware that there’s a lot going on under the skin of this car.
Even the impact that I can have on the S60’s performance and fuel economy just by remembering to plug it in underlines how central Volvo’s clever hybrid tech is to the car.
However, it’s time to pop on the sunglasses to shield our eyes from all that dazzling tech, and examine the car in terms of what it actually delivers from a practical standpoint.
There’s no doubt that saloons have suffered a dip in popularity in the age of the high-riding SUV. I’d be the first to admit that the V60 estate would probably have been my choice if asked to pick between the two compact executive Volvos, but the sleek S60 is not impractical as a family car.
The boot capacity is 390 litres – 52 litres down on the non-hybrid S60 models and 139 litres down on the V60. It has quite a
small opening, too, so I often end up having to duck down and reach inside to grab at items that have rolled to the back. Volvo supplies a leather-effect holdall that keeps charging cables tidy, but that’s the only storage for them. You can cram both of the cables (household and fast charging) into the bag, but it is a bit of a squeeze.
We’ve had a couple of kid’s bikes and an 1,800mm long sheet of plasterboard in the boot with the seats down, but there’s no question that an estate gives you a lot more flexibility. For supermarket shopping there are neat bag hooks that fold down from the boot ceiling as part of the Convenience Pack (now called the Versatility Pack and £275) to stop your carrier bags going AWOL on the way home.
The rear seats are very comfortable for two adults, with plenty of legroom behind all but the tallest front seat passengers. Headroom is a little bit more of an issue, because there’s not much to spare for anyone over six feet tall. As my mother-inlaw will testify, the middle seat is narrow and further compromised by a very bulky tunnel down the middle of the car, which
is where the S60 T8 locates its batteries. The middle seat back folds down into a nice wide armrest, but there’s nowhere for back-seat passengers to put drinks without risking them falling over.
In the front there’s more comfortable seating with a wide scope of adjustment. The S60 is a great long-distance car; we’ve done five or six motorway trips over 150 miles in it now, and the way you can tweak the steering and seat position is central to this. The chairs are firm with just the right amount of lateral support, too.
Again, there isn’t an abundance of storage with only a shallow smartphone tray under the centre armrest, thanks again to those batteries running down the car’s spine, and a couple of small cup-holders. If you like to ‘go large’ at your local fast-food emporium, you’re out of luck. Average-sized door pockets and a glovebox that can only take a few items in addition to the manual complete the range
of options, so chunky items end up in the passenger footwell or slung on the rear seats.
Lastly, the car is very easy to drive. The view out to the rear is good enough, but I tend to rely on the excellent 360-degree parking camera. In combination with the rear crosstraffic alert, it’s a great aid when reversing out of our narrow driveway onto a busy road.
The T8 can be hesitant when delivering its considerable power and is slow to correct rear-wheel spin when pulling away on loose surfaces, but that complex powertrain is user-friendly in everyday driving.
“Saloons have suffered a dip in popularity, but the S60 isn’t impractical as a family car”