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All of the driver inputs are electrified, so there’s not a strong feeling of connection regardless, but I didn’t have the same sense of disconnect from the car in the less powerful R-Design. The actual control and stability of the car is without issue, I just didn’t feel plugged into it. Maybe it’s the weight, maybe it’s the electrified drivetrain, maybe it was the cop. If I have 416 HP, I want it actively kicking me in the ass, even if it has to be in the “Dynamic” driving mode. I want to feel the tension in the steering wheel, an energetic vibration in the go pedal.
What MPG does the 2019 Volvo S60 get?
Volvo S60 T6 Momentum: Which Trim Level Should You Get? - MotorTrend
Volvo S60 T6 Momentum: Which Trim Level Should You Get?.
Posted: Wed, 11 Mar 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]
City Safety provides braking and steering support, adding to the driver’s input when necessary to help avoid an accident. As part of the Advance package, my S60 came with Pilot Assist, Volvo’s “hands-on-the-wheel, eyes-on-the-road” driver assistance system. This system provides steering, distance and speed control in a variety of situations, which can make a long drive much less stressful and fatiguing. The T6 engine makes great power with minimal turbo lag, and no torque steer is felt through the S60’s steering wheel during brisk acceleration. The 8-speed automatic, from Aisin-Warner, shifts smoothly and unobtrusively, and highway cruising in this new Volvo is both comfortable and relaxed.
Volvo S60 T5 AWD Inscription
The T6 AWD Momentum will be available for $775 a month, and the T6 AWD R-Design for $850 a month. While it doesn’t have as many trims as most of its competitors do, when you compare model to model at each level of pricing the V60 is more powerful than most of them. Sensus Connect, the heart of Volvo’s infotainment system, is one of the most intuitive and easy-to-learn systems on any car right now. S60 gets the very latest version of the suite, along with an upgraded chipset that is 50 percent faster than previous versions. Screens seem to load faster, and simple, routine shifting from function-to-function is iPad fast.
Comfort
The S60 R was also later added, with AWD, a 300-hp 2.5L turbo-five and a six-speed manual transmission. For the refresh applied to the 2005 model year, changes to the Volvo S60 turned the T5 into a 2.4L and boosted it to 257 hp, while making it available with a six-speed manual gearbox. The redesigned S60 came with an inline six-cyinder variation of the modular Volvo engine, launching at first only with a 3.0L turbocharged T6 with 300 hp and a six-speed automatic transmission with AWD. A five-cylinder 2.5L T5 would reappear later with 250 hp and FWD or AWD. The ride is smooth, and even on the sportiest models, the suspension still soaks a lot of the aggressive bumps in the road up with no issue. The seats hug you, the materials are the type of plastics and metals that could fill out a Tumblr about a e s t h e t i c s, and the standard panoramic roof and longer wheelbase over the outgoing model make the back seat seem like it might spoil the kids too much.
From a design standpoint, these screens integrate perfectly, avoiding the tacked-on look of some competitors. Beyond the three powertrains, the S60 also gets the Momentum, R-Design and Inscription trim levels. The Momentum is the lower trim level available on the T5 and T6 models. These come with 18-inch wheels, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, eight-inch touchscreen, and a panoramic sunroof standard. Every S60 comes with City Safety, a suite of driver assistance features that includes collision avoidance and mitigation with other vehicles, with cyclists, with pedestrians and with large animals.
Volvo S60 Cross Country T5 AWD Geartronic Summum
There’s no gaping grille, no weird body colored point driving into the headlights, and it doesn’t look like it’s spent a small fortune on botox, like most of the other “compact” sport and luxury sedans. Volvo is labeling the S60 as a “sports sedan,” and believes its radical approach to go hybrid or fully electric across all models by the end of next year can make up for its lineup of all four-cylinder engines. The Volvo S60 has always been kind of an oddball choice for a midsize luxury sedan.
Volvo S60 T6 R-Design Sedan 4D Safety Technology
In person, looking at a white S60 is like a lesson in shadow and highlight contrast. It pops on the road, especially in the orange-red color the R-Design I drove. One officer just spotted our very suspicious convoy of black Volvos, ready to pounce themselves as they zoomed by. The top-trim Inscription is the luxury option, which also gets the bigger touchscreen, same tailpipe and safety upgrades as the R-Design, and adds navigation, an updated sound system, different chassis tuning, and ventilated front seats. The 2019 Volvo S60 is the latest all-new model in the automaker’s four-year overhaul strategy, that lately has seen the replacement of pretty much every old Volvo with a sleek and sexy new one. It’s based on a modified layout of the same Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform as the S90 and V90, as well as the XC60 crossover, and it’s the first model built at Volvo’s new Charleston, South Carolina production facility.
If being green is really your thing, though, the S60’s third powertrain option is pairing its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. It magically produces even more power, 400 hp to be exact, but can achieve 31 mpg combined when the gas engine is running and travel 22 miles on electricity alone. We’re used to Volvos earning near perfect scores in this category because we like the brand’s Sensus infotainment system so much.
Volvo S60 T6 AWD Inscription
On this note, the drive mode selection takes over the entire 12-inch screen, despite being a physical dial, and lingers for around 10 seconds, which is frustrating if you’re trying to check the map or see which radio station you’re on. It all adds up to a sportier, more engaging and more involved driving experience, despite the R-Design having nearly a 100 HP deficit compared to the Polestar Engineered. It’s turbo-super-charged fun, and it makes me struggle to think why this wouldn’t make a shortlist if you’re still shopping for sedans. This Polestar is not slow by any measure—you look down and realize you’re going 20 mph faster than you feel like you are, or planned to (when there isn’t the Explorer of the Law behind you).
It’s not the worst system I’ve used, not by far, but the sheer amount of small icons could be distracting while driving. I wouldn’t be so hard on the Polestar model if the R-Design didn’t drive as good as it does. The R-Design has the “standard” gear selector, with locked positions for park, reverse, drive, and a slap-over manual mode that will l actually hold the gear you select until you hit redline. I was told by the Volvo folks and a few of my colleagues that it comes alive at the limit, a limit I apparently never approached in the environment we were in despite my trying. Maybe it’s just power the average driver may only experience when passing on the Interstate, perhaps. We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability.
At a time when mid-size sedans are perceived as a fading genre, it’s nice to meet such a well-sorted, sophisticated and fun new example. S60 will compete with some well-established competition, like the BMW 3 series (also newly refreshed for 2019), Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4, Cadillac ATS, Lexus ES (another fresh 2019 model) and Infiniti Q50. The 2019 Volvo S60 belongs in this elevated company thanks to its fresh exterior design, beautiful interior and entertaining powertrain and handling.
Cobus has never been able to keep his car opinions to himself and at age 12, he expressed them in no uncertain terms to a certain motoring magazine’s editor. THE T8 HYBRID POWERTRAINWhen you order the T8 powertrain, you get a turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine with 313 horsepower, along with a rear-mounted electric motor that has 87 horsepower. That makes for an especially quick S60, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) that’s as fast as it is efficient. The T6 received a 302-hp version of the 2.0L with both super- and turbocharging. The R-Design at first retained its 325-hp turbo-six, but both five- and six-cylinder powertrains were soon dropped.
Standard equipment on all S60s includes blind-spot monitoring and a cross-traffic-alert system, low-speed automotive emergency braking, rear collision mitigation support, lane-keeping assist, and road-sign-reading functionality. Those items alone can cost thousands of dollars extra on competitors’ cars and are sometimes restricted only to the most expensive trim levels. In regards to space, the S60 fits both its driver and passengers like a tailored shirt. Sure, it’s a compact sedan, so there’s not a lot of extra room for heads, elbows, and knees, but what’s there is just right for normal-sized adults to travel in comfort.
The S60’s interior also benefits from Volvo’s extensive application of screens. Behind the steering wheel is a 12.3-inch driver’s display featuring all-digital gauges and extensive functionality from the car’s infotainment system. In the center, though, is an even more impressive vertical 9-inch touchscreen running the brand’s Sensus infotainment system.
While not as flashy as the S90’s insides, the S60’s cabin features high-quality materials like burled metal on the gear and drive mode selectors, more metal on the cup holders’ sliding cover, and even more metal on the trim that outlines the dash. The leather is also top notch, and the very few places that plastic is used, it’s the high-quality, soft, low-gloss stuff. It might just be that the Polestar is so refined and calculated that the visceral experience of the power fades away.
For reference, the 2019 Volvo S60 originally had a starting sticker price of $36,795, with the range-topping S60 T8 Polestar Engineered Inscription Sedan 4D starting at $56,395. Unless otherwise noted, all vehicles shown on this website are offered for sale by licensed motor vehicle dealers. By accessing this website, you agree to the TrueCar Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
