2021 Volvo S60 – First Drive

A Fun and Handsome Driver

The S60 continues to be the front runner of Volvo’s brand with functional proportions, good looks and gutsy performance. Despite many alternatives to the mid-size luxury sports sedan such as the BMW 3 series, Audi A6 and the emerging Genesis G70, the Volvo S60 offers a refreshing divergent to ordinary luxury with its Swedish inspiration and commitment to superior build quality.

For model year 2021, the S60 adds more standard features with LED headlights with adaptive headlamps, blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert and two USB-C charge port located in the center console compartment. Included as part of the S60 purchase is Volvo Carekey – a programmable wireless key-fob that limits the vehicle speed to ensure better safety for young drivers using the car.

Underneath the Hood

Volvo offers its T5 and T6 2.0 liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine for its front-wheel drive luxury sports sedan that produces 250 and 316 horsepower respectively with an added supercharger for the latter T6. Volvo also offers the plugin-hybrid Recharge trim that’s equipped dual electric motors that significantly boosts the horsepower output to a whopping 415hp and 494 lb.ft of torque all while getting 21 miles of EV range.

All models come equipped with a standard 8-speed automatic gear box with available All-Wheel-Drive for added traction and stability under slipper or wet conditions.

Volvo isn’t the top contender in fuel economy, but the T5 equipped engine still manages a respectable 23 and 34 mpg on the city and highway respectively. Opting for the more powerful T6 supercharged engine drops the fuel economy down to 21 and 32 mpg.

Spectacular Interior and Comfort

Interior build quality in the Volvo S60 is amongst one of the best in our books. A quick tap around the cabin quickly reveals premium materials and exceptional craftmanship. Lacquered black finishing, brushed aluminum, wooden trims and high-quality perforated leather stitching all creates a both a luxury and contemporary cabin space.

A 12.3″ all-digital instrument cluster displays crisp drive details with an available heads-up display that directly vehicle speed and navigation straight onto the driver’s windshield. Volvo’s 9″ portrait style infotainment system runs on a basic, but functional Sensus software that’s both simple and easy to use.

Climate controls are all handled through the infotainment touchscreen which also helps declutter the center console. Both Android Auto and Apple Carplay are both supported by the Sensus infotainment software. However, for model year 2022, all infotainment system software will run purely on Android.

Luxury Comfort and Rock-Solid Performance

Volvo’s rock-solid build is immediately apparent through its quick and authorities acceleration profile with almost no noticeable flex in its body chassis at all. Under test is the Volvo S60 equipped with the less-powerful T5 engine. Still, power remained predictable and quick to react on throttle jabs without much delay thanks to the well-tuned turbocharger. Through further in-city drive reveals a stiffer ride and unwanted road noise within the cabin space, but is still within reasonable levels within its luxury class.

Base momentum trims can be had for $39,995 with the next-up Inscription and R-Design trim priced at $42,995 that adds flashier cosmetics along with parking sensors, upgraded Harmon/Kardon audio system, leather upholstery and power trunk-lid. Opting for the Recharge plugin-hybrid trim costs $48,695 with a significant boost in horsepower. That leaves the highest Polestar plugin-hybrid trim priced significantly higher at $65,845 that gets you 415 horsepower and 495 lb.ft of torque in an all-wheel drive configuration, adaptive damping suspensions and larger 19″ wheels.

Specifications

• Vehicle : 2021 Volvo S60
• Model : R-Design
• Vehicle Type : Mid-Size Luxury Sedan
• Seating Capacity : 2+3
• Engine : T5 (2.0 Liter Turbocharged Direct-Injected)
• Transmission : 8-Speed Automatic
• Price as tested: $42,995 (Base price)

Pros

• Exceptional design and build quality
• Rock-Solid drive feel and responsive acceleration
• Premium interior quality and unique contemporary styling

Cons

• Significant road noise in interior cabin space
• Ride comfort is more on the stiff side.