[Auto] Volvo S60 2020 long-term review

[The GodFather]

 

 

Why we’re running it: To find out if the magic touch Volvo has with its premium SUVs translates to this compact executive saloon

With nowhere to go during lockdown, the S60 has been fairly sedentary of late. Yet not being able to go anywhere has allowed me to revel in some of its more static delights, such as the Bowers & Wilkins hi-fi upgrade.

I’ve touched on the system in previous reports, but the current situation has allowed me some time to simply sit in the car and have a proper listen. (At least, that was my excuse. Taking some time out from the nerve-shredding experience of home-schooling the kids was merely a happy by-product.)

 

Dotted around the cabin are 15 speakers, including that eye-catching dome tweeter set on top of the dashboard, all driven by an amplifier capable of a 1100W output. There’s no CD player for a true lossless source quality, but B&W’s clever surround-sound software and processing aims to make up for that. It certainly seems to work in practice. Even music streamed through Spotify (other online providers are available) has an immersive quality that’s rich in detail and backed by tightly controlled bass, while that centre speaker helps draw out vocal performances. Distortion is non-existent, even at volumes that will destroy eardrums and neighbourly relations.

Then there’s the way it looks. I love those yellow Kevlar speaker cones peeking out from behind the stainless steel (used because it reduces vibration and interference) mesh grilles set into the doors.

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Is it good enough to justify its £2500 price? It’s one of the best factory in-car set-ups I’ve listened to, both with the car moving and at a standstill, but the acid test will be how it measures up to the firm’s less frighteningly priced £850 Harman Kardon system. Hopefully we’ll soon find out, because I’ve conveniently specced that option for the S60 T8 that’s soon set to replace the T5.

There’s not much wrong with the stress-busting S60 that 400bhp couldn’t sort - 22 April 2020

You’ve probably heard of the term hygge by now – you know, the Danish one that has been a bit of a buzzword with lifestyle types over the past few years. It describes the sort of cosy and comfortable way of life that Danes adopt when weathering their long winters; the sort of existence that gives you a warm and fuzzy sense of well-being in a world that’s otherwise just a bit too steeped in stress.

Yet while Denmark has essentially trademarked the term, its essence spreads further than that and can be found in all parts of Scandinavia. How do I know? Well, having spent some time with our Volvo, I’m pretty sure that design studios, offices and corridors at the Swedish firm’s headquarters are heavy with hygge – and the S60 is four-wheeled proof.

 

 

 

Few cars I’ve driven in recent memory are imbued with such a significant sense of well-being, from the comfortable and beautifully executed interior to a suite of safety aids that have helped make the modern-day Volvo virtually uncrashable – and hugely survivable if the worst does happen. Best of all, these systems work brilliantly, intervening only as an absolute last resort, further helping to keep the driver calm.

 

However, it’s the way the S60 makes you feel as you climb aboard that’s really snared my affections, the stresses of the day simply slipping away as I settle into the superlatively supportive seat and drink in an interior that’s as stylishly minimalist as an Ikea sitting room. It helps that our car has light leather trim and wood inlays, which give it a real Scandi feel that’s a far cry from the oppressive coal-hole cabin that’s the usual calling card of the executive set.

 

I’ve really come to appreciate the car’s welcoming embrace when – pre-lockdown, naturally – returning to it from a far-flung car launch that has required a couple of early starts, plenty of shuttle bus transfers, the odd airport queue and a long flight home. It doesn’t matter how frazzled I am: the Volvo always restores my equilibrium. Long motorway schleps also play to the S60’s strengths, its unruffled composure often fooling you into thinking a journey is at least half as short as it actually is.

If there’s a downside, it’s that while the Volvo is very effective at lowering your heart rate, it’s less successful at quickening the pulse when you’re up for some fun. It’s quick and capable, but behind the best of its rivals for driver engagement. Yet the potential is there, because a few forays in the Polestar 1 (similar architecture and engine) provide proof that there is scope to engineer in some entertainment.

Still, my disappointment won’t last forever, because news has reached me that an S60 T8 will at some point after the lockdown be winging its way towards the Autocar car park – and 400bhp should be enough to get the blood pumping. Until then, and once the lockdown is lifted, I’m going to savour the warm embrace (the hygge, if you will) of the T5.