Volvo S60 T6
Those boys at Volvo keep on confusing us. First with their C-30, which in T-5 looks good and drives better. A sporty Volvo! Next they did the XC60, arguably the best looking of the 4x4’s that will never truly go off road. Cleverly they oriented it towards road use and the ride and handling are superb. Perhaps not a sports car, but certainly one of the best ways to cover long distances on compromised road surfaces. I did mention that it is a sexy car, didn’t I? The days of a Volvo being a solidly built combination of boxes on four wheels, that sadly was all but indestructible are all but over. In the past I would have had to break out those seldom used adjectives for a Volvo piece: Safe, Reliable, Conservative, Solid, Dull?
Those days are over and as a hack we can delve deeper into our thesaurus and for this S60 we can use phrases like flowing lines, overtaking presence, interesting interior.
The S60 is well appointed, a comfortable space to be in, the buttons and dials are mostly a pleasure to use and relatively intuitive, with a logical layout. The info screen in the centre of the dash is about the best I have ever seen. Crisp and detailed and legible in any light. The reversing camera system is without doubt the best and easiest I have ever used, with a vibrant screen, reversing lines and a 3D virtual colour coded “wall” alerting you of impending crunches to the rear of the car. No single detail is unique to this car, but the combo is. Sad that this and many other amazing features are all optional extras. There are some standard features that are a joy like easily folding rear seatbacks allowing you to do things like transport that new 60” LCD TV. The cabin is fresh and upmarket, the tactile feel of all surfaces exudes quality. The word austere is finally banished from the Volvo lexicon.
The VW is a well-built machine. It feels together. After some extensive badly rutted gravel roading there was no noticeable ingress of dust, no tell-tale squeaks and rattles. At times the ruts did overwhelm the suspension's composure, but subjectively no worse than many of the better 4x4 drivetrains out there.
The 6 cylinder 3 litre engine produces 224KW and 440Nm. Inspiring numbers for a Volvo. In Sport mode the pick up is impressive. The claimed 6.5 seconds to the ton from a standstill is easily achievable. If you are expecting a cut and thrust sports-car of the BMW ilk, you will be disappointed. This is not its rationale. It is a fast and pretty executive, designed to get you there quickly and unflustered without fuss. Claimed fuel consumption is a reasonable 10l per 100km, unfortunately my test didn’t come close to this, with admittedly spirited driving showing over 15l per 100km. 12-13 will probably be a typical real world result. Unless you drive her timidly, but then wouldn’t the diesel have been your choice?
At R464 000 including CO2 tax, the Volvo seems reasonably priced. However the joy lies in the options list, excellent keyless-go fob, which has little lights to report the cars status, the amazing sound system option, and of course Volvo’s heroic list of active safety systems. Sadly these are optional extras. Getting this in “amazing” trim is going to cost you. A lot.
