irishcar.com - Volvo S60 by Brian Byrne

To use the words Volvo and fun together would once have constituted an oxymoron. To use Volvo and style together used to attract funny looks. To want a Volvo was to pigeonhole one very particularly in an unflattering and dull way. To equate Volvo with performance just didn’t happen unless you were lucky enough to know your ‘T’s.

The foregoing is now redundant. It has happened in a somewhat gradual way, first with the 40 series cars which were a marked improvement on what they replaced. Then the S80 large luxury and its V70 estate variant did an even better job for their own segments. The C70 coupe hasn’t delivered customers in huge numbers, true. But the S60 is destined to change that, I’m sure.

Now Volvo has a car which could seriously challenge BMW and Mercedes-Benz at their own game, and probably win. Indeed, with the S60, the Ford-owned Swedish marque may well emulate the revival of Alfa Romeo as a true ‘Elite Brand’, done in that instance by the 156.

So I’ve shown my colours early. So what. There’s no point in hiding the fact that I was impressed by this car from the moment I turned on the engine - in the review car’s case the 2.4-litre 200bhp option - and felt the S60 straining at the leash. Though in a very civilised way. These are well-trained horses.

But first, the style. This car could be a coupe at first glance. Built on the same platform as the larger S80, it has a tidier look about it, and a sportiness in aspect that indicates thoroughbred. It is also smaller than the S80, aimed at the BMW 3-series or C-Class M-B. It certainly looks a lot better than the first, and depending on your taste, at least equally as well as the Merc.

Volvo’s front ends have traditionally not been their strong styling suit, with more tilts towards tank design than anything else in the old days. But the S60’s nose is a triumph of form and practicality, with probably the best grille treatment the marque has ever managed. The strong sculpted lines along the bonnet from that grille to the A-pillars is similar to that pioneered in the S80, and why change something that’s already proved pleasing?

Again, those strong lines follow along just under the side windows to end in a wide flare either side of the bootlid as they form the shape of the rear lights clusters. It’s all good strong statement stuff, and definitive to the car from any viewer’s angle.

One of the great things about Volvos of the 'new generation', so to speak, is that their interiors are bright. No more just black hard plastics, nor even the black leathers. And no more the angular shapes to the trim designs either. Beiges, warm browns, a touch of carbon sometimes and maybe rich wood. Silvered details too.

All in all, there's a lot of creature comfort feel to cars like the S60, but done in a very luxurious though still forceful style.

(And hey, if you must stay in the dark ages, you CAN have your black hole interior. Still luxurious, still high tech. But to some of us, dark is depressing. And there's no reason to be depressed in a modern Volvo.)

One thing the S60 series (and related 70 and 80 series vehicles too) has is exceptionally well thought-out instrumentation, controls and ergonomics. Never mind that first view looks a little like the Starship Enterprise control bay SHOULD look like, a few minutes spent sussing out just how well it is done is very worth while.

Am I being contradictory here? If it's so good, why should it need getting used to?

Because there's a lot of integration of things that elsewhere might well be add-on or non-existent. Like the phone keypad option which is built into the centre stack beside the radio controls (if you don't have it, they fill the hole with a much less interesting cupholder!).

You don't even have to punch this keypad while on the move ... there are controls on the steering wheel to flip you through pre-set numbers which show up on a screen beside the instruments - where you can also read your text messages.

The radio can also be used from the steering wheel, otherwise you dial a knob through 20 preset stations rather than press buttons ... I guess they figured such buttons would confuse beside the phone keypad.

The climate controls are separate for both front occupants, as we'd expect. But the separate controls are simple and analogue in style, which actually look better than their digital high-tech equivalents in other cars.

The gearshifter is even different, with what Volvo call a 'Spaceball' metallised base instead of the usual leather gaiter. I found it initially visually disconcerting (but you can have the leather gaiter in lesser models).

Anyway, sitting behind all that you are in what Volvo call 'some of the most comfortable seats in the automotive world'. And, you know, neither I nor the people in my immediate driving circle can quibble with that claim. As near as I can gauge, they're exactly the same as in the larger S80 siblings.

(I should tell you that my local Volvo dealer managed to have his pet project, my home village's theatre, furnished fully in Volvo S80 leather seats. Which makes it unique in the world. But we're like that in Kilcullen. And nobody now ever leaves before the end of the show.)

Sitting in the back of the S60 is no chore either, despite the coupe-shaped outline of the car. There's ample headroom, and seats just as good to the end of the show as in the front.

Safety in Volvos was taken as a given a long time ago. It still is, and though they don't emphasise it as much now since everybody else finally got the message and began following their lead, the marque still pushes out the envelope in this regard.

A real safety envelope, actually. Front and side airbags, side impact inflatable curtain, whiplash protection, very serious safety options for carrying young children ... it would be a bore to continue, but take it that it you HAVE to crash, they've almost made the concept verge on the enjoyable.

(Hmm ... alright, so maybe I'm over the top there. But did you ever feel you WANT to actually TRY OUT all these gizmos that you get in your modern car? Like the well-documented feeling of standing on the edge of a cliff, and wondering what it would be like to jump?)

Listen, let's get real. And driving a car is what's real. And driving this particular S60 was some real experience indeed.

At a simple level it is a smooth and supple car to drive in any normal conditions. With the ease that best comes with a modern very powerful engine which doesn't ask to be brought to the racetrack to prove its worth.

And which is so sophisticated that when you ask it to take you beyond what in some competition would be realistic boundaries, it doesn't recognise those boundaries.

Case study: driving down through County Carlow can be pretty miserable when traffic is slow and the roads are winding, particularly in the area of the county landfill facility (dump).

In a queue of similarly miserable drivers, an opportunity presents to pass half a dozen of them at once, to a real gap in the convoy and with visibility on a right-hand curve not too bad.

Call up the 200 horses with a definite foot depression, and they all come to an instant gallop in the most superbly choreographed way. The gap disappears as you fill it.

Do it once, and you'll never lose confidence in your Volvo again. Do it twice, and you'll never lose confidence in the team that is your S60 and yourself.

And, let me make it clear, you won't become blase either, because driving a Volvo doesn't make you feel that way. You respect the marque, yourself, the car, and - most importantly - your responsibility to be responsible.

At the same time, you realise that, yes, no kidding, a Volvo can be FUN.

OK, so you want the usual stuff. Handling? ... totally able to deal with anything you drive over, even in the most powerful version. Ride? ... what did you expect, cruddy 'sporty'? No way, it's a LUXURY car, stupid. Environmentally friendly ... hey, this is the nameplate that has been leading the way in this regard since it finally taught the world about safety and moved on.

I drove this car hard and soft. I didn't drive it drastically because that's neither in my nature nor in that of the brand. And perhaps that is the best test of any car. You drive it to where it is capable, given the circumstances and conditions.

In those parameters, if you have enjoyed driving it, it has served you beyond the mundane of mere transportation from A to B.

Given that there are few, if any, BAD cars left, and Volvo is no longer a synonym for DULL, what do YOU aspire to?

This one, my friend.

By the way. There's no way I can detail the options available here. Check Volvo at http://volvos60.volvocars.se/ie/

Volvo and fun is no longer an oxymoron	February 2001 by Brian Byrne
To use the words Volvo and fun together would once have constituted an oxymoron. To use Volvo and style together used to attract funny looks. To want a Volvo was to pigeonhole one very particularly in an unflattering and dull way. To equate Volvo with performance just didn’t happen unless you were lucky enough to know your ‘T’s. The foregoing is now redundant. It has happened in a somewhat gradual way, first with the 40 series cars which were a marked improvement on what they replaced. Then the S80 large luxury and its V70 estate variant did an even better job for their own segments. The C70 coupe hasn’t delivered customers in huge numbers, true. But the S60 is destined to change that, I’m sure. Now Volvo has a car which could seriously challenge BMW and Mercedes-Benz at their own game, and probably win. Indeed, with the S60, the Ford-owned Swedish marque may well emulate the revival of Alfa Romeo as a true ‘Elite Brand’, done in that instance by the 156. So I’ve shown my colours early. So what. There’s no point in hiding the fact that I was impressed by this car from the moment I turned on the engine - in the review car’s case the 2.4-litre 200bhp option - and felt the S60 straining at the leash. Though in a very civilised way. These are well-trained horses. But first, the style. This car could be a coupe at first glance. Built on the same platform as the larger S80, it has a tidier look about it, and a sportiness in aspect that indicates thoroughbred. It is also smaller than the S80, aimed at the BMW 3-series or C-Class M-B. It certainly looks a lot better than the first, and depending on your taste, at least equally as well as the Merc. Volvo’s front ends have traditionally not been their strong styling suit, with more tilts towards tank design than anything else in the old days. But the S60’s nose is a triumph of form and practicality, with probably the best grille treatment the marque has ever managed. The strong sculpted lines along the bonnet from that grille to the A-pillars is similar to that pioneered in the S80, and why change something that’s already proved pleasing? Again, those strong lines follow along just under the side windows to end in a wide flare either side of the bootlid as they form the shape of the rear lights clusters. It’s all good strong statement stuff, and definitive to the car from any viewer’s angle. One of the great things about Volvos of the 'new generation', so to speak, is that their interiors are bright. No more just black hard plastics, nor even the black leathers. And no more the angular shapes to the trim designs either. Beiges, warm browns, a touch of carbon sometimes and maybe rich wood. Silvered details too. All in all, there's a lot of creature comfort feel to cars like the S60, but done in a very luxurious though still forceful style. (And hey, if you must stay in the dark ages, you CAN have your black hole interior. Still luxurious, still high tech. But to some of us, dark is depressing. And there's no reason to be depressed in a modern Volvo.) One thing the S60 series (and related 70 and 80 series vehicles too) has is exceptionally well thought-out instrumentation, controls and ergonomics. Never mind that first view looks a little like the Starship Enterprise control bay SHOULD look like, a few minutes spent sussing out just how well it is done is very worth while. Am I being contradictory here? If it's so good, why should it need getting used to? Because there's a lot of integration of things that elsewhere might well be add-on or non-existent. Like the phone keypad option which is built into the centre stack beside the radio controls (if you don't have it, they fill the hole with a much less interesting cupholder!). You don't even have to punch this keypad while on the move ... there are controls on the steering wheel to flip you through pre-set numbers which show up on a screen beside the instruments - where you can also read your text messages. The radio can also be used from the steering wheel, otherwise you dial a knob through 20 preset stations rather than press buttons ... I guess they figured such buttons would confuse beside the phone keypad. The climate controls are separate for both front occupants, as we'd expect. But the separate controls are simple and analogue in style, which actually look better than their digital high-tech equivalents in other cars. The gearshifter is even different, with what Volvo call a 'Spaceball' metallised base instead of the usual leather gaiter. I found it initially visually disconcerting (but you can have the leather gaiter in lesser models). Anyway, sitting behind all that you are in what Volvo call 'some of the most comfortable seats in the automotive world'. And, you know, neither I nor the people in my immediate driving circle can quibble with that claim. As near as I can gauge, they're exactly the same as in the larger S80 siblings. (I should tell you that my local Volvo dealer managed to have his pet project, my home village's theatre, furnished fully in Volvo S80 leather seats. Which makes it unique in the world. But we're like that in Kilcullen. And nobody now ever leaves before the end of the show.) Sitting in the back of the S60 is no chore either, despite the coupe-shaped outline of the car. There's ample headroom, and seats just as good to the end of the show as in the front. Safety in Volvos was taken as a given a long time ago. It still is, and though they don't emphasise it as much now since everybody else finally got the message and began following their lead, the marque still pushes out the envelope in this regard. A real safety envelope, actually. Front and side airbags, side impact inflatable curtain, whiplash protection, very serious safety options for carrying young children ... it would be a bore to continue, but take it that it you HAVE to crash, they've almost made the concept verge on the enjoyable. (Hmm ... alright, so maybe I'm over the top there. But did you ever feel you WANT to actually TRY OUT all these gizmos that you get in your modern car? Like the well-documented feeling of standing on the edge of a cliff, and wondering what it would be like to jump?) Listen, let's get real. And driving a car is what's real. And driving this particular S60 was some real experience indeed. At a simple level it is a smooth and supple car to drive in any normal conditions. With the ease that best comes with a modern very powerful engine which doesn't ask to be brought to the racetrack to prove its worth. And which is so sophisticated that when you ask it to take you beyond what in some competition would be realistic boundaries, it doesn't recognise those boundaries. Case study: driving down through County Carlow can be pretty miserable when traffic is slow and the roads are winding, particularly in the area of the county landfill facility (dump). In a queue of similarly miserable drivers, an opportunity presents to pass half a dozen of them at once, to a real gap in the convoy and with visibility on a right-hand curve not too bad. Call up the 200 horses with a definite foot depression, and they all come to an instant gallop in the most superbly choreographed way. The gap disappears as you fill it. Do it once, and you'll never lose confidence in your Volvo again. Do it twice, and you'll never lose confidence in the team that is your S60 and yourself. And, let me make it clear, you won't become blase either, because driving a Volvo doesn't make you feel that way. You respect the marque, yourself, the car, and - most importantly - your responsibility to be responsible. At the same time, you realise that, yes, no kidding, a Volvo can be FUN. OK, so you want the usual stuff. Handling? ... totally able to deal with anything you drive over, even in the most powerful version. Ride? ... what did you expect, cruddy 'sporty'? No way, it's a LUXURY car, stupid. Environmentally friendly ... hey, this is the nameplate that has been leading the way in this regard since it finally taught the world about safety and moved on. I drove this car hard and soft. I didn't drive it drastically because that's neither in my nature nor in that of the brand. And perhaps that is the best test of any car. You drive it to where it is capable, given the circumstances and conditions. In those parameters, if you have enjoyed driving it, it has served you beyond the mundane of mere transportation from A to B. Given that there are few, if any, BAD cars left, and Volvo is no longer a synonym for DULL, what do YOU aspire to? This one, my friend. By the way. There's no way I can detail the options available here. Check Volvo at http://volvos60.volvocars.se/ie/	VOLVO PRICES New S60 extends Volvo base (Oct 00) - Brian Byrne Volvo puts frighteners on Germans (Nov 00) - Tony Conlon Volvo and fun is no longer an oxymoron (Feb 01) - Brian Byrne

Volvo and fun is no longer an oxymoron