First Drive: Volvo S60

By Scott Hayes on 30 October, 2010 in Featured, Road Tests

The all-new Volvo S60 makes its entry into one of the automotive world’s toughest segments. ‘Sculpted to move you’ is the tagline of choice, which Volvo are confident the new S60 delivers with their most dynamic car to-date.

“This project has been about pure passion for the task of driving Volvo’s chassis development expertise to its very pinnacle. We’ve crossed into territory where we’ve never been before,” says Stefan Sällqvist, who is in charge of developing the chassis of the all-new S60.

The sedan can be specified with a choice of two chassis. In the European and South African markets the newly developed dynamic chassis is standard, while most markets in North America and Asia will have the comfort chassis as standard with the sport variant available as an option.

The all-new S60 is built at the Volvo Cars factory in Ghent, Belgium. The first cars were delivered to European customers around July this year and in South African dealerships ‘open their doors’ from 4 November.

The difference between the two chassis alternatives is to be found in the dampers and the front and rear subframes. Here the comfort variant has softer settings to give a smoother ride on poorer road surfaces. The wheelbase of the chassis has increased by 60 mm over the previous generation S60, which translates to improved road holding, as well as 30 mm more knee space for rear passengers.

The sporty interior of the all-new S60 is also the most advanced high-tech environment ever offered to a Volvo driver. Immediately apparent are the sports seats, which come as standard in South Africa. The steering wheel is thick rimmed and sculpted in the spirit of sports driving, with the flatter angles at the 3- and 6 o’clock positions being an example. The fit and finish of the interior materials is top-class and the car is packed with the latest technology.

Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake is one such example. At speeds of up to 35 km/h, the system can detect pedestrians who walk into the road in front of the car, warn the driver – and automatically apply full braking power if the driver does not respond in time, either via steering or pedal inputs. At higher speeds, the focus is on slowing down the car as much as possible prior to the impact.

The all-new Volvo S60 also features City Safety as standard. With City Safety, the car automatically brakes if the driver fails to react in time when the vehicle in front slows down or stops – or if he or she is driving too fast towards a stationary object. The system can lessen or even entirely avoid low-speed rear-end impacts at speeds up to 30 km/h an hour.

Volvo Car South Africa is launching the S60 with three derivatives: the 224 kW/440 Nm T6, 149 kW/300 Nm 2.0T and 151 kW/420 Nm D5. Additional engine derivatives to follow at a later date are the T5 variant producing 176 kW and torque of 320 Nm, followed by a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine available in two versions: a 132 kW (T4) and a 110 kW (T3) both with torque of 240 Nm. Two further diesel models, the 118 kW D3 and a 1.6D DRIVe will also become available at a later stage.

Upon stepping into the new S60 on the local launch, the sporty interior proved comfortable under all driving conditions, whether cruising through town or reveling in a mountain pass. The T6, 2.0T and D5 engines we sampled were all smooth and responsive. The dynamic chassis – standard on all S60′s in South Africa – remains composed on tight and twisty roads. With strong power outputs from all three engines, covering ground through the Klein Karoo was quick and made all the more enjoyable with the creature comforts of an executive class vehicle.

There is no doubt that Volvo’s association with a stayed or conservative image are beginning to fade away. With a new visual design synergy and mechanical foundation to match, we’d have to agree that the Volvo S60 is surely the most exciting Volvo to-date, something that will be accentuated when the high performance S60 R comes to market.