The 2011 Volvo S60: New blood, at last!

It’s not easy to compete in the entry-level luxury sedan segment with vehicles like the BMW 3 Series, the Audi A4, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, not to mention Lexus’ IS and Infiniti’s G. But that’s precisely what the Volvo S60 has set out to accomplish, and I must say that the previous generation missed the mark. In fact, when it came to sales figures over the last few years especially, it was pretty much absent from the list.

Among the reasons for this is surely the venerable age of the current generation. The Volvo S60 has been on sale since 2000, which means that it will have had a ten-year life cycle. That’s practically double the norm. Under these circumstances, it’s hard to go toe-to-toe with the German big guns, busy battling it out amongst themselves, leaving little room for the competition. Will the new S60 be able to land on its feet and become a key player? Let’s just say that it now has more convincing arguments...

The recipe for success?

Beginning this fall, Volvo will offer a brand new generation of the S60. How does the manufacturer hope to challenge in an extremely competitive segment where having a prestigious logo of utmost importance? For starters, style... To each his own, of course, but the S60 turns out to be excellent. It represents a radical departure from the previous generation and we like the new fluid lines that give it the look of a coupe, mainly because of the C-Pillars that stretch all the way back to the tail lights. Turning sedans into coupes is the new trend. In front, the plunging, modern grille also bears the typical Volvo grille with its diagonal bar. Its shape not only improves the drag coefficient, but it makes for excellent visibility. Basically, this is a car that is far beyond competitive in terms of style.

In general, the new S60 turns out to be very competitive compared to what’s being offered by the other cars in the category. Here, we’re talking about the vehicle itself. However, the inconsistency of some decisions concerning our market could limit the success of the S60 in our opinion. First of all, while the competition has a wide range of configurations (coupe, cabriolet, wagon) and engines, the Volvo S60 comes only in a four-door sedan. Furthermore, only one engine is going to be offered in Canada. So, Volvo has decided to offer only one model that will have to satisfy all expectations. Sounds like a risky strategy to us, especially in light of what the competition is doing.
Only the S60 T6 will be available, with a six-cylinder, 3.0-litre engine featuring 300 horses for 325 lbs-ft of torque. In fact, it’s an evolution of the old T6 engine, the very same one that is used in the S80 and XC60, but the one in the S60 features some 20 more horses. This engine is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, the only one offered, while the all-wheel drive also comes factory standard. We have no complaints about that decision since all-wheel drive is very popular here in Canada.

A high-end model

The S60 T6 also offers a long list of factory standard equipment, which makes it a little more high-end. It would definitely have been beneficial for model if a more affordable version was available. In this regard, Volvo could have offered (as they do elsewhere), an S60 with the brand new four-cylinder, 2.0-litre turbocharged fuel injection engine. It’s a modern engine that European colleagues tell me is very appealing.

Be that as it may, our first contact with the 2011 S60 T6 was very positive. Good performances are guaranteed thanks to the engine’s 300 HP, and its efficient automatic transmission. It has a more rigid chassis while the suspension components maximize handling. The manufacturer is correct when it claims that it’s the sportiest Volvo. On the road, the car offers a good balance between comfort and sportiness. Should you wish to personalize the vehicle’s performance a little more, you can opt for the C4 chassis, which allows you to change the suspension settings (Comfort, Sport and Advanced) according to your tastes using buttons located on the dashboard. However, unlike some of the competition’s more evolved systems, the C4 doesn’t change the power curve, the power steering or the reaction of the accelerator.

In the passenger compartment, the dashboard is similar to what the manufacturer has been offering in its new products for some time, notably the floating central console. It ends up having a little more generous space than the competition thanks to an increased wheelbase. The nicest feature on board a Volvo is without a doubt the incomparable comfort of the seats. Now there’s something that many people will like and that will make long trips much more pleasant! The instrumentation with its blue background is readable while it’s easy to get a feel for the steering wheel. The telescopic steering column that helps you find an ideal driving position also gets high marks.

In the middle part of the dash, there’s a nice size screen that displays all of the vital information, including information on the sound system. Many functions are controlled by a single button and I must admit that it will take a little time to understand all of the subtleties of using it. It’s not the most intuitive one we’ve seen.

It avoids collisions!

Volvo stays true to its commitment to safety with the S60. This sedan includes the manufacturer’s latest innovations and, for the first time, there’s a pedestrian detection system. There used to be the “City Safety” feature that helped detect obstacles and stopped the vehicle when travelling at low speed in town, but this time, the idea has evolved to a second generation that comes equipped device using a camera that will be able to detect a pedestrian or a cyclist and can go so far as to automatically stop the vehicle if you’re going less than 35 km/hr. We were able to test this device in a torrential downpour, and it was very efficient. Volvo is taking the active safety of a vehicle up a notch.

To summarize our first contact with the Volvo S60 2011, it represents excellent progress compared to the previous generation. We like the comfort, the high-performance engine and, of course, the numerous safety devices. However, Canadian sales will depend on one version, which seems like a questionable decision. Something else that’s available in the States that may have given the car a serious competitive edge is a 5-year complete maintenance package that even includes tire replacement. Too bad this won’t be available in Canada. Nevertheless, Volvo aficionados in Canada will still find what they’re looking for with this new S60.