Volvo S60 2.4
If you first saw it from behind and thought the S80 was passing you by, you're forgiven. The S60 looks a lot like its big brother. The taillights have the same tread, which is actually the end of a side slot extending out of the front grille. In between is a notched trunk lid that is much shorter than in the larger sedan and is also slightly sloped to accentuate the beautifully designed roof arch.
The S60 wants to be a dynamic sedan. It thrives on him all along the line. The wheels are shifted far to the edge of the body, on the wheelbase it takes first place in the class (it is accompanied by Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Volkswagen Passat (), the front is not at all clumsy, and the rear side doors are almost minimalistically cut in the back.
Overall, the lack of rear space is the worst part of this Volvo. It is difficult for tall people to get in and out of the car through the back door because the opening is very mean.
There, somewhere up to 180 centimeters high, they will put their heads inside under the ceiling, and taller ones will have to take care of their hair. Even earlier, of course, you will have to tighten your legs somewhere and you can only hope that they will not sit in front of the length. This is when the space for the knees and - if the seats are set low - for the legs quickly runs out. The Passat, Mondeo, and a few other mid-range competitors have a lot more backseat space, and the more upmarket ones perform better too: the Mercedes C-Class, even the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.
This is the end of the main grievances against the car! Despite the lack of inches, the rear bench is comfortable, there are vents in the side racks to allow for individually adjustable ventilation, and there is plenty of built-in safety in the back. All three seat belts are of course three-point, the S60 has three head restraints (which can be folded back for better visibility), the side impact protection system includes a wide window airbag (there are six more in the car), and a split rear seat back with strong pins that can be removed from the trunk.
The latter, too, cannot be blamed for anything. 424 liters are beautifully designed, rectangular in shape, with a large enough opening to load luggage without problems, and with a conveniently split bottom that can be placed vertically to accommodate smaller items or bags after shopping. The lid supports a mechanism with telescopic shock absorbers, which does not interfere with the interior space of the trunk, and the entire trunk is covered with high-quality wallpaper.
Thus, the luggage will be comfortable to carry, and this is even more true for the passenger in the front seat. In the usual Volvo style, they are luxurious, neither too soft nor too stiff, adjustable in height and in the lumbar region, with non-adjustable but excellent head restraints and automatically adjustable seat belts. They know how to absorb impacts from the chassis, only the current one and it is a little more difficult to get up, because the car is suitable for its mission only a little closer to the ground.
The S60 wants to be sporty, which is why it is the first Volvo to have a three-spoke steering wheel. With thick padding, buttons for radio, phone, and cruise control, it grips well, adjusts in height and depth, so finding a comfortable driving position is easy.
Otherwise, the driver feels a little cramped, as the center console is very wide. It has a large CD-ROM radio, cassette player and built-in telephone (no extra charge). Big! The radio has very good sound, it is ideal in terms of ergonomics, and the built-in phone supports the small SIM cards found in the vast majority of mobile phones. It is also very easy to operate an efficient air conditioner that can set the temperature separately for the driver and front passenger halves.
The storage space, which is not very large, except between the front seats, deserves less praise. Unfortunately, there is no ashtray (or trash bin) in the car and no dedicated space for cans that could otherwise fit in one of the bins between the seats. They impress with the quality of workmanship and materials used: the S60 handles without the squeak of plastic.
In the car, drive calmly and quietly, as long as the engine speed is not too high. Then the smooth and calm five-cylinder engine gets too loud. The engine is, of course, an old friend, and at 2 liters of displacement hides 4 horsepower. It is also available in a 170 kW (103 hp) version, which is arguably an even better choice. Both engines are very flexible, and the weaker one reaches a maximum torque of 140 Nm even at 220 rpm, which is a good 3750 rpm less than the test model (1000 Nm, 230 rpm).
There is almost no difference when driving as the engine idles well and the driver can afford to idle with the gearbox no matter what gear he is driving. The measured agility of 34 seconds confirms these claims, while the 10 second acceleration was 0 seconds worse than the factory promised 1 second. This is partly due to winter tires and winter driving conditions, and the disappointment is all the more that the car was shod with smaller tires than it should have (3/8 R 7 instead of 195/55 R 15).
Therefore, acceleration should be better, and a large deviation (15 to 20 percent) was also measured in the accuracy of the speedometer. When accelerating at high revs, the engine ceases to show such maneuverability as in the lower operating range, and thus loses its advantage over the weaker version. Fuel consumption suits us quite well. Despite the efforts in the tests, the overall average did not exceed 10 liters per hundred kilometers, and we drove least of all even with 4 liters.
It fully satisfies the driving requirements of the S60 on the open road. During fast rides, it is calm, holds its direction well and brakes satisfactorily even after repeated repetitions. I measured a good 40 meters from 100 to 0 km / h with winter tires - a good indicator. It's dependable, perhaps even a little too "medium" in corners, with pronounced oversteer at high speeds, as well as a desire to put the rear in the right direction with the steering wheel, during acceleration and braking. .
The steering mechanism is precise: only three turns from one extreme position to the next, and also straight enough for a quick turn and just reinforced so that the driver can feel what is happening to the car. The wheels are individually suspended four times, with triangular rails at the front and longitudinal swing at the rear, with double lateral rails and, of course, with stabilizers on both axles.
The suspension is a bit sporty, solid, but still comfortable enough for all types of roads. On short irregularities, it indicates the contour of the road, not intrusive, but nevertheless copes well with long folds and, above all, does not allow excessive lean on corners and unhealthy reactions to sudden changes of direction. The nonsense is also prevented by the optional DSTC vehicle stabilization system, which does not "catch" as soon as the wheels slip, but with a slight delay. The car calms down, but the driver's blood pressure rises for a while. It also does a poor job of idling front wheel spin, especially if the car is pointing straight ahead and both are slipping. Volvo will have to learn a little more in this area.
Overall, however, the S60 is satisfying. It is beautiful, dynamic, high quality and safe. Everything a new generation of Volvo needs has to be able to take its passengers to a new dimension.
Boshtyan Yevshek
Photo: Urosh Potocnik.
Volvo S60 2.4
Basic data
| Sales: | Volvo Car Austria |
|---|---|
| Base model price: | 24.337,84 € |
| Test model cost: | 28.423,13 € |
| Power: | 125kW (170 KM) |
| Acceleration (0-100 km / h): | 8,7 with |
| Maximum speed: | 210 km / h |
| Mixed flow ECE: | 8,7l / 100km |
| Guarantee: | 1-year unlimited mileage general warranty, 3-year battery warranty, 12-year sheet metal warranty |
Costs (per year)
Technical information
| engine: | 5-cylinder - 4-stroke - in-line - petrol - transverse front mounted - bore and stroke 83,0 × 90,0 mm - displacement 2435 cm3 - compression ratio 10,3:1 - maximum power 125 kW (170 hp) s.) at 5900 rpm - average piston speed at maximum power 17,7 m / s - specific power 51,3 kW / l (69,8 l. Cylinder - block and head made of light metal - electronic multipoint injection and electronic ignition - liquid cooling 230 l - engine oil 4500 l - battery 6 V, 2 Ah - alternator 4 A - variable catalyst |
|---|---|
| Energy transfer: | front wheel motor drives - single dry clutch - 5-speed synchromesh transmission - gear ratio I. 3,070 1,770; II. 1,190 hours; III. 0,870 hours; IV. 0,700; v. 2,990; reverse 4,250 - differential in differential 6,5 - wheels 15J × 195 - tires 55/15 R 1,80 (Nokian Hakkapelitta NRW), rolling range 1000 m - speed in 36,2 gear at 195 rpm 65 km / h – Spare wheel 15/XNUMX R XNUMX |
| Capacity: | top speed 210 km/h - acceleration 0-100 km/h 8,7 s - fuel consumption (ECE) 8,1 / 10,5 / 8,7 l / 100 km (unleaded petrol, elementary school 91-98) |
| Transportation and suspension: | sedan - 4 doors, 5 seats - self-supporting body - Cx = 0,28 - front single suspension, leaf springs, triangular cross rails, stabilizer - rear single suspension, longitudinal swing, double cross rails, Watt's parallelogram, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, stabilizer link, disc brakes, front disc (forced cooling), rear disc, power steering, ABS, EBV, mechanical parking brake on rear wheels (lever between seats) - rack and pinion steering, power steering, torque 3,0 between extremes dots |
| Mass: | empty vehicle 1434 kg - permissible total weight 1980 kg - permissible trailer weight with brake 1600 kg, without brake 500 kg - permissible roof load 75 kg |
| External dimensions: | length 4580 mm - width 1800 mm - height 1430 mm - wheelbase 2720 mm - front track 1560 mm - rear 1560 mm - minimum ground clearance 130 mm - driving radius 11,8 m |
| Inner dimensions: | length (dashboard to rear seatback) 1550 mm - width (at the knees) front 1515 mm, rear 1550 mm - height above the seat front 985-935 mm, rear 905 mm - longitudinal front seat 860-1100 mm, rear seat 915 -665 mm - front seat length 515 mm, rear seat 490 mm - steering wheel diameter 375 mm - fuel tank 70 l |
| Box: | (normal) 424 l |
Our measurements
| T = 5 ° C, p = 960 mbar, rel. vl. = 73% | |
| Acceleration 0-100km: | 10,0s |
|---|---|
| 1000m from the city: | 31,0 years ( 174 km / h) |
| Maximum speed: | 205km / h (V.) |
| Minimum consumption: | 8,2l / 100km |
| Maximum consumption: | 12,1l / 100km |
| test consumption: | 10,4 l / 100km |
| Braking distance at 100 km / h: | 46,6m |
| Noise at 50 km / h in 3rd gear | 66dB |
| Noise at 50 km / h in 4rd gear | 65dB |
| Noise at 50 km / h in 5rd gear | 65dB |
| Test errors: | active trip computer disabled buttons on the steering wheel |
evaluation
Too bad the S60 leaves no room for taller adults in the back seat. In all other respects, it is not inferior to prestigious competitors. Well, the engine should be a little quieter and more powerful at higher revs, and the transmission should be smoother, but the Swedish safety package is a great choice. Especially given the relatively affordable price!
We praise and reproach
flexible motor
comfortable suspension
fuel consumption
ergonomics
comfortable seats
built-in security
too little space on the back bench
lockable gear lever
severe understeer
slow DSTC system
hauling at the front due to the wide central protrusion at the front
