Table Of Content
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.
Model
Next up is Volvo’s advanced Pilot Assist semi-autonomous drive system that lets you follow-the-leader on the highway without driver input. The third of the S60 generations 2.0L turbo-four configurations included a 250-hp T5 turbo, a 316-hp T6 twin-charged engine, and a 400-hp plug-in hybrid with a 21-mile electric range using the T6 engine. The T5 later became the 247-hp B5, while the T8 was uprated to 455 hp. The Care By Volvo subscription program has been more than a bit of a mess in the United States, struggling with a number of issues in relation to insurance and getting cars to drivers. You pay a flat monthly payment which covers everything—there’s no down payment, maintenance is included, insurance is included and you can upgrade to a new Volvo every year.
Transmission
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.
Volvos have always focused on safety and comfort first, and now they're building on that with fun.
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.
Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class. Before any car earns its KBB rating, it must prove itself to be better (or worse) than the other cars it’s competing against as it tries to get you to spend your money buying or leasing. TrueCar has 23 used 2019 Volvo S60 R-Design models for sale nationwide, including a 2019 Volvo S60 T6 R-Design AWD and a 2019 Volvo S60 T5 R-Design FWD. Prices for a used 2019 Volvo S60 R-Design currently range from $20,444 to $29,999, with vehicle mileage ranging from 31,049 to 111,197.
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.
2019 Volvo S60 T6 R-Design - AAA Oregon/Idaho
2019 Volvo S60 T6 R-Design.
Posted: Mon, 24 Jun 2019 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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.
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.
The S60 is available in three trim levels, each equipped with the Sensus Connect touch-screen interface. The Momentum, with the 250-horsepower engine, includes City Safety with Steering Support, a system that works to mitigate or prevent accidents at intersections and with pedestrians, cyclists and large animals. Also standard on the Momentum are a panoramic sunroof and 18-inch wheels.
The 2019 Volvo S60, along with a wagon variant, the V60, ride on the same platform as the XC90 crossover, S90 sedan, V90 wagon and XC60 crossover. The SPA platform vehicles can have unique wheelbase measurements, ride heights, exterior dimensions and interior layouts, while still using shared components and simple factory production line facilities. By shedding its legacy designs, Volvo has become a nimble manufacturer – almost a like a startup car company with nearly a century of car building experience.
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.
A large 9-inch Sensus screen plays a big role; swipe the vertically oriented screen one way and you’ll see 19 vehicle functions, everything from ESC Sport mode and Active Bending Lights to cruise control and Road Sign Information. Swipe it the other way and you’ll see 22 Applications that range from stereo settings and Bluetooth to Spotify and Pandora. While Sensus helps de-clutter the S60’s dash, it also forces the driver to look away from the road far too often.
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).
