Volvo S60 R-design 2.0 Turbo Review

Being that I regularly drive a Volvo S40 it was a nice chance to drive the next model up to see the contrast.

 Visually it looked great being the R-Design, with upgraded wheels and a sportier looking trim. The car was a pleasure to drive although being a front-wheel drive car with over 200BHP there was massive torque steel which isn’t great for winding lanes but irrelevant on the motorway. The car is very smooth for an automatic and was packed with great safety features in true Volvo style. It was my first experience of driving a car with the new blind-spot sensor technology which is a light which glows near the wing mirror when someone is on your blind spot; There was also a small red ray of light which is projected onto the windscreen if you are driving over the central lines in the road. Although very clever I found this off putting on the motorway as the lights were constantly flashing on and off with lane changes and passing vehicles.

 Interior was full leather and the seats were extremely comfortable. The Sat Nav however I felt let the car down as it was poor and time consuming to program for a journey and it only went downhill from there with me passing turnings before the car had realised; this resulted in me turning the Sat Nav off and resorting to the inbuilt one in my phone.

The Volvo range has a good deal of popularity in the business car leasing sector. It is easy to see why, as there is a good balance of practicality and comfort, with a smart and professional appearence. The engineering has a solid and polished feel as well, gving the promise of reliability at the very least. For the private market however it is an open question whether these features can justify the price tag.

In comparison to the Volvo S40 the style of the S60 R-Design is much preferred by myself and if I had the choice to purchase either vehicle I would certainly go for the Volvo S60. However I would not have such a powerful engine in the car as the 1.6 Turbo in the S40 is more than sufficient for speed limits on UK roads and there is no torque steer present on this smaller engine car.

 Overall however a great car to drive!