The previous S60 was long in the tooth and was never competitive in its class. Of course, it competes in a tough segment against the likes of Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Infiniti G, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Have a look at the car’s logbook for a candid look at the staff’s first impressions of how the S60 measures up:
“Great steering response - quite good feel and nicely weighted.”
“Big fan of this car - light feeling, nimble, fast, and fun.”
“Ride is on the stiff side but less so than typical Volvos.”
“Plenty of power, but the inline five-cylinder engine isn’t very refined with its characteristic growl.”
“Really like the engine’s mid-range response - want to punch it all the time.”
“Getting 28 mpg without really trying.”
“Silly two-step ignition process.”
“Roomy driving position…lots of knee, leg, and head room.”
“Interior is somber and, while fit and finish looks good, it’s a whole collection of different surfaces that sometimes seems jarring.”
“No real fatigue after 3-5 hours in car.”
“Great seat, although it could use more lumbar.”
“Seat heaters are slow to warm and not that hot.”
“Rear seat is surprisingly small.”
“View out of the rear window is good in traffic, but the high rear deck is troublesome for reversing.”
“Shocking that there’s no back-up camera [on our $35K car].”
“Seems more competitive than ever but still somewhat unexciting.”
“Like this better than the [redesigned] Saab 9-5…and it’s cheaper.”
“I really like driving this car and much prefer it over an A4.”
Just like how Sally Field reacted to her Oscar for “Places in the Heart” - “I can’t deny the fact that you like me! Right now! You like me!” - we’re impressed with Volvo’s latest effort. It delivers a much more sophisticated ride and better handling than any other previous Volvo. Significantly, though, this new S60 also elicits comments you don’t expect, summed up with this logbook entry: “Best. Volvo. Ever. Fun to drive!”
Read More: http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2011/05/from-the-logbook-2012-volvo-s60.html
