The Volvo S60 2019 is Swedish style at a surprisingly good price

They say the sedan is dead and the public only wants crossovers and SUVs now. If it's true, it's really a shame because I think we're in a golden era for the four-door model. In the cheapest market, you can not beat the new Honda Accord. Increase the MSRP a bit – say cars from the mid-30s – and it's hard to find a clear winner because we are spoiled for choice. And now, this choice is a bit more difficult thanks to this: the new Volvo S60.

This is Volvo's first US-made car, built in a new factory in Charleston, South Carolina. And it's the latest car to use Volvo's scalable product architecture, the tool kit that also provided us with the XC60 SUV, as well as the larger S90 sedan, the V90 wagon and the the XC90 SUV. We were quite impressed by each of the previous Volvo SPA we tested; they look good, feel well screwed, and the Sensus infotainment system is better than most others. (If you follow these links, you can learn more about all of this.) As a general rule, I prefer smaller vehicles to larger vehicles and cars to SUVs. The S60 (and the new V60 wagon you can read about tomorrow) were the SPA cars I was waiting for.

Here in the US, the S60 exists in several variants, and the first option involves powertrains. The front-wheel drive T5 starts at $ 35,800 and is powered by a 2.0L four-cylinder gasoline engine. This modular design is common to the entire range of Swedish car manufacturers. The T5 is equipped with a turbocharger of 250 hp (186 kW) and 350 lb-m. Similarly, there is only one transmission in the lineup: an eight-speed automatic transmission from Aisin.

Next is the T6. It starts at $ 40,300 and incorporates all wheel drive, as well as a now turbocharged and supercharged engine, with a power output of 316 hp (236 kW) and 400 lb-ft. Under normal conditions, the Borg-Warner system sends all this "umph!" to the front wheels, but the car can send up to half of its torque to the rear wheels if necessary.

There is another option if you want AWD: the T8 hybrid plug-in. It starts at $ 54,400 before any tax credit, which has not been announced, but should rise to $ 5,002 if this page is a guide. The 2.0L retains its two forced induction systems, but loses 3hp (2.2kW).

It also loses all the mechanical elements at the back of the engine: instead of a transmission shaft or a torsion tube, the transmission tunnel houses a 10.4 lithium-ion battery kWh, which powers an electric motor of 87 hp (65 kW) between the rear wheels. Add to that and you get 400hp (298kW) and 472lb-ft (640Nm), which is not bad when you consider how much less horsepower and Newton-meters you get for your money at other brands.

Volvo wanted to point out that the S60 was the most driver-oriented SPA vehicle. This may have been suggested by the style of the S60, which shares a lot with an electric car, based on 600 hp, called SPA) called Polestar 1. It was obvious when we were presented with a more powerful S80 T8 , borrowing the name of Polestar. and its subscription model only.

The hybrid side of the powertrain remains the same, but the gasoline engine was persuaded to give a little more power (328 hp or 415 hp in total) and torque (317 lb-ft). Behind the Polestar-specific alloy wheels (which look good), you can see bigger brakes, and the gold calipers virtually scream their presence.

Öhlins adjustable dampers are less visible but still present and just like gold. Adjustable in the direction of "I'm on the runway, I'll just open the hood and screw the valve" instead of pressing a button to engage the sport mode, which is both refreshing and honest and also a good excuse to admire the strut that is also unique to the Polestar Engineered S60.

Inside, everything is dressed in a mix of technical materials and black leather. The front seats are segmented and compensated by shiny golden seat belts. I think it looks great, but then I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. The interior in general shows how much Volvo has progressed since we drove the S60 from the previous generation. "Until Volvo came" was actually the subtitle of this review, and it's a good filter to watch if you want to see the changes in ergonomics, UI / UX, etc.

Even with its all-black interior, the Polestar never feels lugubrious. The large panoramic roof is a part of it, and the increase in useful size compared to the car of the previous generation is a part of it. All this is in the length (187.4 inches / 4,760 mm, up 4.9 inches) and mainly in the wheelbase (113.1 inches / 2,873 mm, an increase of 3.8 inches), which mainly benefits passengers sitting in the back. The new S60 is even a bit narrower (72.8 inches / 1849 mm) and considerably shorter (56.6 inches / 1437 mm, -1.8 inches), but it looks more spacious in part thanks to the new seating designs and door cards.

Driving the new Polestar car has clearly shown that Volvo has resolved my main complaints about its predecessor. The suspension is pretty well cushioned, even though our course has not been characterized by the worst Southern California has to offer. The car seems much lighter, which is certainly not the case, because the steering is now much lighter.

Unfortunately, the steering is not particularly communicative, and even in a winding canyon, you'll have more fun with a rear-wheel drive such as an Alfa Romeo Giulia or a Kia Stinger. As long as it's dry and sunny, that's it. The overcast sky was the best Los Angeles could do. I have not yet determined whether the capabilities of the S60 in all weather conditions are as good as expected. For long trips in bad weather (or in the middle of heavy traffic), it would be the Volvo that I would choose.

The S60 is still waiting for EPA's final decision on fuel economy, but the Volvo estimates the number of city / highway / combined routes for different powertrains to 24/36/28 for the T5 , 21/32/25 for the T6 and 27/34/30 for the T8 hybrid. Volvo also estimates that the T8 is at 72 m / d and that it should have a range of 21 miles only for electric vehicles. If you are looking for a car that will run more or less on electricity, look elsewhere (or come back in 2020). The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid that never needs to go to a gas station. The Tesla Model 3 is fantastic to drive (in every way) and, of course, all-electric.

But Volvo is not on the lookout for the sportier or more environmentally friendly drivers of the S60. The builder is looking for people who would otherwise consider a Series 3, an A4 or a C-Class. The BMW is about to be replaced and I'm not driving a current C-Class, but it goes very well with the # 1. 39; Audi. Both have widely comparable driver aids that outperform most, although the Volvo issues more safety alerts (for example. detection of large animals) and several of them as standard.

Infotainment systems leave little choice apart from personal preferences for UI design. Audi's digital dashboard is a little more advanced and the simulated hands of its speedometer and tachometer did not stutter and did not flicker as they are in the Volvo. But Volvo's mosaic-based touch-screen user interface is more intuitive, and running CarPlay or Android Auto in a tab is a better implementation than anyone in the industry. And Sensus at had an upgrade compared to the last time we met him; According to Volvo, an updated chipset has reduced the time it takes to start, switch to the backup camera, or recalculate instructions, for example.

The Swedish design of the S60 certainly offers something fresh to the segment, and the XC60, very close, has met with great success in the mid-size luxury SUV segment. Its prices are also aggressive against the Germans, even though this South Carolina plant could even give it an even greater advantage if the trade war intensified …

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