Volvo S60 Drive Report- High On Luxury, High On Safety

The Scandinavian Carmaker Volvo’s India Portfolio is dominated by SUVs – XC40, XC60, and the XC90 apart from the S90. The new S60 fits right behind the S90 and takes a lot of cues from the latter as well. S60 is finally in India and it will be competing with the likes of Mercedes C-Class, BMW 3Series, and the Audi A4.

The New S60 is its 3rd generation, instantly comes across as a well proportion luxury sedan, deriving its looks from the elder brother S90, The New S60 exudes a big car feel. A very important thing considering the segment. The Front gets a generous dosage of chrome treatment, while the sharp boxy silhouette gives a very elegant yet purposeful look.

The Long bonnet with “Thor’s Hammer” headlights at the end lends tremendous appeal to the S60. Rear gets the family look from the larger S90 sedan with bracket shaped taillights.

The moment you get on the inside, there is an immediate sense of calmness, it doesn’t have the go-fast bits here and there like the competition. The S60’s cabin is all black and very much in sync with Volvo’s new interior design language. Lots of leather, Chrome, Metal, and soft-touch premium materials surround you on the inside. The quality levels on the inside is comparable to a lot of higher priced Volvos. 

The dashboard is minimalistic with the large portrait-oriented touchscreen housing most of the controls. The seats are large and very comfortable with extra under-thigh support, the cabin is fairly roomy. The S60 also gets a digital instrument cluster which is nice to look at but not as comprehensive in terms of features or design as the competition, but it gets the job done. The presence of a panoramic sunroof gives the cabin an airy feel. The sound system is a 600watt, 14 speaker Harman Kardon unit tuned by Dirac Research and it sounds amazing.

Volvo as we all know is the forerunner in safety and the S60 is loaded with Active and passive safety tech as well, Adaptive Cruise Control with Pilot Assist, Lane Keeping Aid, Hill Start Assist, Emergency Brake Assist, Collision Mitigation support and a reversing camera. Then there’s the passive kit like inflatable air curtains, whiplash protection and of course, multiple airbags.

Coming to the mechanicals, The Volvo S60 will only be available in one variant the T4 Inscription, which derives its power from a 2.0L turbo petrol motor. The power figures of 190HP and 300NM of torque are respectable. An 8-Speed  automatic transmission channels all this power on to the road. The S60 with its new chassis feels sportier than before, top speed is limited to 180kmph. Ride quality, although on the firmer side is very plush.

The New S60 brings a lot to the table, It does look and feel bigger than its segment for one, then the host of driver aids and safety features give the sense of security that no other car provides. The Spacious high-quality cabin is right there with the best in the segment. This is not a sports car, what it is, is a solidly built, well-designed luxury car that drives well and it’s a comfortable and safe place to be. Volvo will be starting the booking for the New S60 in January 2021 and deliveries will start right after.