Think of a car with 18in wheels, morethan 300bhp, a coupé-like roof line and lots of sexy curves… Now, if I tell you it'sa Volvo, you would be perfectly within your rights to slap some sense into me. "Volvo don't do those!" you would cry. ‘Those' being sleek, sporty cars. We have become so used to the automaker churning out rebadged Fords, with more emphasis on safety, that anything else offered by it just does not compute.
Volvo has been building safe cars that save more lives than any other when involved in a crash, it invented the three-point seat belt and was the first to use padded dashboards and side airbags. Fine, but ever heard of death by boredom? It looked like the very same boffins responsible for making it the safest car on the planet, were also in charge of designing it. Using nothing but a straight edge. Think I'm being harsh? Take a look at a those mid-Eighties abominations.
Leap forward 30 years and let your eyes roam the curves of the new S60. No, Volvo has not hired the Aston Martin design team. This is still very much a Swedish product. And it's sweet alright. With the latest offering, Volvo is intent on closing the gap on the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class. It's charging right up to them in the S60 but won't ram into the back of them, for the car's City Safety auto braking system would prevent that. What's more, this new car has a Pedestrian Detection system, meaning it will apply the brakes — if you don't — when someone happens to run out in front of you. So, the S60 is still safe and now, it's also gorgeous. But, has it got the legs to keep up with its big name rivals?
I had the chance to see for myself around some fabulous twisties in Lisbon. I was among a group of journos flown down and treated like royalty throughout the two-day trip. However, I kept thinking, "this is a lot of fuss over a Volvo". Until I caught my first glimpse of the hot new model. And then 30 more lined up ina semi-circle in front of the grand Penha Longa Hotel. It was a stunning sight. The sleek new cars among the rolling hills, blossoming gardens and clear lakes of southern Sintra was a sight to behold. It's not often you're awe-struck by a Volvo.I looked around at my fellow scribes. They were all busy drooling over the sheer beauty of the gorgeous new car.
When I regained my composure,I was promptly handed the key of the T6 — a stunning saloon with a 3.0-litre, six-cylinder turbo. Off I went into the winding Sintra roads flanked by dense greenery as the sun's rays flickered through the tree tops, illuminating the luxurious brown leather interior.
It may have been the jet lag but the cabin was so comfortable that I really just wanted to park up under a tree, find some mellow tunes on the stereo and fall asleep in there. Instead, I put my foot down, speeding around a corner to test the new chassis coupled with a quicker ratio steering, tougher suspension and stiffer damping. I was rather impressed with its sporty handling and there was hardly any body roll. I felt connected to the road — often not the case with Volvos — but the carmaker got it right here. I'm not saying you can fling this into a corner at 100kph just because it has all-wheel drive. Had I tried, I would have spun off and tumbled down a 100-foot hill in a ball of flames. Keep it at a reasonably quick pace and nothing can stop the S60. Apart from maybe the Pedestrian Detection system. It's a remarkably intuitive device and can help prevent unfortunate accidents. I was able to test this new technology for myself and no matter how hard I tried to knock over the crash test dummy positioned in the middle of the test track, I couldn't.
The system works best travelling at slow speeds so that the car can be brought to a complete halt. If you are going quickly, the system still applies the brakes and reduces the speed of the vehicle, but a collision will be inevitable. The point is, if you were going to be knocked down by a car, which of course would be a terrible nuisance, would you rather it be going fast or slow?
Thanks to a camera built into the top of the windshield and a sensor in the front grille, the S60 can ‘see'. As of now, the system can only detect human shapes, so animals beware. However, the Active Safety team members have vowed not to sleep until they find ways to improve it. But, credit to them, it's a superb start.
The big V6 doesn't bang or pop like many other engines do, instead it hums a fine tune of its own. It behaved impeccably well, giving me power when I needed it without too much turbo lag and offered refined cruising when I wanted to sit back and take in the sights.
Other engines available are two versions of a five-cylinder diesel, a 158bhp, 2.0-litre and a 204bhp, 2.4-litre named the D3 and D5. Petrol units include theT3, a 150bhp 1.6-litre and the T4, a 180bhp version of the same engine. There is also the T5, which is a turbo petrol unit giving 240bhp. But the best is the T6.
The six-speed automatic transmission shifted gears so smoothly that I actually thought it was a CVT. It wasn't, it was just really good. But for some strange reason, the top brass at Volvo decided against paddle shifts. Now, it may have beena cost-cutting measure as there are some serious options available here such as the premium sound system with 12 speakers, navigation with real-time traffic andback-up camera. But to neglect the paddles on the steering is nothing short of criminal. It would have added another dimension to a car that has pulled the brand out of dullsville.
However, the rest of it was so good thatI am prepared to let that slide.
Volvo is calling it the ‘naughty' one, so go ahead and park it in the spots usually reserved for the 3-series, A4 and C-Class.
It's certainly earned my respect.
Model Volvo S60 T6
Engine 3.0-litre V6 turbo
Transmission Six-speed auto, AWD
Max power 304bhp @ 5,600rpm
Max torque 440Nm @ 4,300rpm
Top speed 250kph
0-100kph 6.5sec
Plus Looks great, drives great, and is safer than ever
Minus Lacks rear leg room
