Zander Drives Cars

This Swedish auto is out for German blood.

For a lot of people, the badge of your car is a status symbol. I talked a little bit about this in my previous review of my own 2018 S60, and I feel it’s important to bring it up again. When you have around $50,000 to spend on a premium sedan, Germany is a place that most look towards. The three-pointed star, four rings, or compressed Bavarian flag often draw people in, regardless of how good the car actually is. Now look, I am not saying that the S60s competitors are bad cars, they’re not; I like the A4 and C-Class, but my point is that most people who buy them look for the satisfaction of driving around in a car people will notice them in, right after noticing the brand on the front. That’s where the S60 differs. It doesn’t want to be the car with the largest badge, it wants to be the best version of a sedan it can be.

The third generation S60 was released to the American market for the 2019 model year, replacing the very good, but aging P3 series that was around for a little over half a decade. The new S60 is built on Volvo’s SPA platform, which supplies the rest of Volvo’s lineup, plus the Polestar 1 and Link & Co 09. Along with a new platform, the S60 sported a new design similar to the XC90 and S90 that had debuted a couple years prior. That design, let’s talk about it more. The S60 is, without a doubt in my mind, the prettiest four-door car on the market. It was gorgeous when it came out in 2019, and is just as striking in 2022. The model that I drove, the B5 Momentum, gives off a look that only the Scandinavian design could pull off. Its sleek side profile with sharp taillights and black grille makes the car look more expensive than it actually is. No tacky plastics or overstyled bodywork here. The front is the S60s best angle. All new Volvos incorporate a headlight design called “Thor’s Hammer” which is named for the hammer-like shape of the housing, as well as the design of the actual lights inside. This particular S60 was fitted with a black R-Design that gave the car a sportier look and 19-inch diamond cut wheels that fit the arches beautifully without looking overwhelming.

When I sat inside the S60, I immediately felt at ease, I felt happy. To quote James May’s reaction to sitting inside the Audi TT, “I got in it and thought, oh joy.” The blond leatherette upholstery felt like the real deal and the light wood on the dashboard gave the interior a luxurious and modern feel. I was elated. The steering wheel is a two-tone leatherette that feels just as nice as the seats, with plenty of buttons to keep you busy on a long drive. The digital gauges were clear and responsive and the “minimalist” setting made them look classy and refined. Right now is a good time to point out that this car was optioned with the “Premium Package” which adds such features as front fog lights, front park assist, power-folding rear seats with load through, a wireless charger (which worked beautifully), an upgraded navigation system, and other doo-dads . The one thing that the premium package didn’t add, however, was heated seats. In an almost $44,000 car, I was surprised that they weren’t present. Granted, it was warm out, so I wouldn’t have used them, but from a company based in the cold north of Sweden-land, I expected heated seats to be standard. My guess is that they come with full leather seats, rather than leatherette. While we’re here, there are a couple more interior details that were questionable. The center console, while finished with pretty piano black and light wood, felt flimsy, and the plastic on the sides felt cheap. The gear shifter also mildly annoyed me, as you had to click down or up twice to get into or out of reverse or drive, instead of being able to bypass neutral like the previous generation. The Volvo touch screen has been a source of controversy since it came out, and while I agree it is mildly confusing to use at first, most of the features can be accessed or brought up via the voice control system. Bluetooth was easy to connect, taking only about thirty seconds between me selecting “Bluetooth” and blasting Euphoria by Loreen.

The navigation system inside the screen is easy to use, with a writing pad that reads the worst of handwriting, and an optional 3D mode on the map. When navigating to your destination, the gauge screen in front of you configures itself automatically to show the map in between the dials like in an Audi. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a way to zoom out, which made navigating by dashboard tricky, so I ended up using the main screen and changing the dials to show me what media was playing. As stated earlier, the screen is the main source of control for the climate system, vehicle settings, and more. There are three main “pages” that you can choose from on the screen. The first is your climate control, the second is your radio, Bluetooth, and messages, and the final tab is your car settings like what systems you want on or off and drive modes. Finally, those who have Volvos will know of the “button you press to tell your friends that they broke my car.” What it is, is a button you press that drops the rear seat headrests and is located on the screen as well. Sitting in the back is more of the same as the front; comfortable seats, a socket in the rear for your phone, and enough legroom to, well, stretch out with a friend. So, after slipping into the front seat and putting the drive mode in “dynamic,” I set off on my drive.

In dynamic mode, the car drives about what you would expect. It sharpens up, the steering gets heavier, breaking and accelerating are more intense, you get the picture. The momentum trim gets a 2-liter turbo 4cyl engine with a mild hybrid system making 247hp, and 258lb of torque. This results in a 0-60 time of about 6 seconds, which is about the same as its competitors and will go onto a limited top speed of 112mph. 2019 and 2020 models are faster, but this is the result of Volvo’s pledge to make sure that nobody dies from a road accident in one of their cars. Back to driving it. In comfort mode, it drives like any other sedan in its class, while also letting you rev the engine if you care to do so. While the Mercedes C-Class is a more comfortable ride, the S60 is better on the bottom than the A4 or 3-Series. On the highway, it has no issue getting up to speed and merging and the thousands of monitors and sensors will keep you from hitting anything. Overall, the S60 is a pleasant driving experience. If you want more grunt, get the Polestar, but for commuting, this car is great at what it does. Volvo says this car will get up to 35 on the highway because of its hybrid motor, but I average a little over 32 on a short highway jaunt back to the dealership. The Swedes are a rational group, so I won’t be too hard on them for that.

So, the S60? Do I like it? Yes, it is great. Post-Ford era Volvos are the hidden gems of the luxury car world; they’re understated, very understated. The S60 is a brilliant example of a car that you can leave at the office parking and not have people think you’re trying too hard in life. What you have is a comfortable, pretty, reliable car that you can confidently go under the radar in. If this ending sounds familiar, I don’t blame you for thinking that; it’s the same thing I said for my 2018 S60. The S60 has, and will always be a quiet hero, in the world of brash, exuberant “saloons.”

I would like to give a massive thank you to Koons Volvo of Whitemarsh MD, and especially Tim, Claron, and Rob for their excellent service and letting me drive one of their cars. You can find their website right here.