2006 Volvo S60

A high point of a recent visit to NY was a week-long rental of a 2006 S60 2.5T FWD. I was 'upgraded' to a Town Car but saw that the rental place had some Volvo's. It was a no brainer to ask for one! Over the course of the week I drove the Volvo all over the New York area - highways, suburban driving, city driving, stop and go, rain, dry...pretty much any driving one would reasonably expect to do except winter. As someone who rents quite a few cars, I can safely say this was the only rental I have ever felt bad about returning. (Granted, most of my rentals aren't premium cars, but all the same, I grew very attached to the Volvo.)

Rental cars don't always follow standard options, but with a little investigation I figure my car was the 2.5T FWD with the Premium (leather) and Climate (heated seats) packages. I also believe it was a 2006 -- at 9000 miles, I doubt I would have a 2007 which are just available now at dealers. This is an important distinction as the 2007 S60 has some revised suspension settings.

Let's start with the interior ambiance. I had the graphite leather, which has a nice texture. It is a bit rougher than seats I've seen in any other car, but the leather was good to the touch and felt upscale. Similarly, the rest of the interior gives off a generally luxury appearance and feel, although highly refined like a Lexus or Audi the Volvo is not. Rather words like solid, quality, ergonomically sound come to mind. It's a bit like a LL Bean or Eddie Bauer edition rather than Gucci or Tiffany in style. That said, the appearance is suited to a luxury make...just a bit different than most. The overall style and feel is complete, not a mishmash of competing textures and styles.

Ergonomics are very good with some specific exceptions. Volvo is known for good seats, and the S60 is no exception. That said, it took some adjusting to get the seat to a comfortable position. Volvo engineers definitely have some strong ideas about how you should sit in a car. The strong forward cant to the headrest forces you into an upright seating position; angling the lower cushion up a bit in the back also helps. Once positioned, however, the seats are very comfortable. The seats are well sized for my 6'2" frame; my wife at 5'9" was comfortable in the passenger seat. I would be worried about getting comfortable if I were much shorter, however, as the headrests are aggressive without raising them. Another point to note is that the S60 is wide for its length, making a very roomy front seat in terms of breadth. The width gives the car a substantial feel that likely counts for a lot in terms of overall perceptions.

Once positioned in the comfortable seats, everything else is within easy reach. I give Volvo lots of credit for good ergonomics, easy to read gauges, controls that are easy to operate. I enjoyed playing with the trip computer control on the turn signal stalk (a round dial). My only complaints on the ergonomics are that (1) the LCD display is washed out in direct sunlight (perhaps a safety? feature -- I've been in an S40 with the same problem), and (2) the curved and slippery dashboard made it difficult for my portable nav system with a weight/friction mount to stay in place. The Volvo is the only car I've had serious difficulties with -- something easily rectifiable with a window suction mount, but not one easily addressed while on the road.

I was very impressed with the sound system on the Volvo -- among the best I've heard in any car. (I'm a bit of an audiophile, so I place value on a natural sound -- too many cars with premium systems seem to tweak the settings more than help.) I was very surprised when I found I had the base audio system...the Premium package you select to get the leather for the S60 adds some speakers, but the premium audio package is a separate head unit and even more speakers. Kudos to Volvo for a great sounding stereo!

Driving experience in the Volvo is definitely good, although I wouldn't call the s60 a driver's car. The steering doesn't provide a lot of feedback, and car is not weighted in a manner that encourages aggressive driving. BUT...the car is good to drive. It is definitely a step up from the mainstream sedans of the world, and maintains a European feel. The Volvo feels a bit more like an Audi -- solid, substantial, drives like it is on rails -- than say a BMW or even a Saab 9-3. There is a substantial feeling to the Volvo, and when you corner, the car doesn't lean, it just performs. The car is much more capable than it first appears. Power with the low pressure turbo is ample...at speed, if you need to pass, there isn't a need to do careful planning...you just give it some gas and go. There is a hint of turbo lag when accelerating quickly from a stop, but in general the turbo provides a welcome boost of speed while maintaining good fuel economy. (I averaged about 24 MPG with a lot of city driving.)

The S60 is good to drive around town. The automatic (not the Geartronic with manual shift option) is well matched to the low pressure turbo. It shifts smoothly, and always seems to be in the right gear. (I also appreciate Volvo allows you to shift into any gear, not just D or L, although I pretty much left it in D all the time.) The low pressure turbo and automatic also makes it easy to modulate speed. Stop and go, low speed, moderate speed...all easily achievable around town. Steering feel is slightly heavy but is precise...the car goes exactly where you want it. The turning radius is wide, but I only had problem with it in one situation where, frankly, any car would have had difficulty. The S60 steering is set to turn in quickly at low speed, so you get the most out of a turn. The relatively short wheelbase also helps here as the back of the car gets quickly around a corner; cars like the Audi A6 and Acura RL have similarly wide turning radii but don't feel anywhere near as nimble. All in all, an easy to drive car as well as a good to drive car.

So what are the quirks and downsides to the Volvo? Well, the most obvious one is the tight backseat. With the front seats back even halfway, there is not much room. The rear doors are a bit narrow, and you really have to cram yourself in. That said, once in the seats, they are pretty comfortable -- one of the better rear seats I've sat in. (The auto folding read headrests are a neat feature.) Another quirk more annoying to me (really, if you are buying this car, the rear seat isn't a priority) is the lack of a sunglass holder...there is a pouch on the front seat that could work, and supposedly there is an accessory that fits over the door grab handle (?). There is also the rumble of the 5 cylinder engine...it is not loud (road and wind noise are also well suppressed), but definitely present. More of a Volvo signature quirk than anything. The suspension is also a bit stiffer than I'd like, especially over the lousy streets in the NY area...the car rides comfortably, the but the suspension could be more compliant while maintaining its good to drive aspects. I've read that the 2007 updates address this...I may go for a test drive in one; if so I'll post an update.

Overall, the Volvo manages to be something rather rare on the automotive marketplace...a car that is distinctive with its own style and personality, but also is a complete package -- good to drive, good ergonomics, well executed styling inside and out, plenty of power, no significant weaknesses other than the backseat and, to a lesser degree, the suspension. This car is probably not everyones cup of tea...but let's give Volvo credit for providing something distinctive on the market that is not trying to be all things to all people.

I'm between 4 and 5 stars on this one. With a better back seat, 5 stars would be easy. But given that the Volvo is an expensive sedan, it is difficult to excuse its faults. Perhaps with improvements in suspension settings for '07, the Volvo will be 5 stars. For the moment, lets go with 4 and call it 4.5. Overall though, I can see one of these in my future. A high compliment -- my wife really liked the car as well.