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By: Derek Price
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If you
drive the new S60 sedan, expect to hear this from
your buddies:
"That's
a Volvo?"
Thank
goodness the S60 bucks the industry's "retro" trend
that makes new cars look like old ones. That works
well for some carmakers, but certainly not with
Volvo's history of making well-engineered cars that
looked like rolling cigar boxes.
Now
Volvo is flaunting its curves like a supermodel, as
evident in the voluptuous S60's sweeping roofline
and carefully sculpted body, which shames those
makeover shows on daytime TV. This was a real
turnaround.
Volvo's
mission remains the same, though -- to build solid,
refined cars that emphasize safety -- regardless of
the handsome new packaging. The midsize S60 still
has the world's best safety features like side
airbags and air curtains, whiplash-protective seats,
dual-stage front airbags, and "safety-cage"
construction to protect occupants.
Step
inside, shut the door, and it feels like youčre
sealed in an armored truck -- a luxurious one, at
least. Swedish simplicity is everywhere, from the
muted interior colors to the radio's big knobs, and
construction appears top-notch. Wood trim is used
tastefully and sparingly throughout the cabin, while
controls and gauges rival the best of Japanese
functionality with their logical and comfortable
layout.
Driving
the S60 extends the feeling of safety, as it seems
very solid but not heavy under spirited
acceleration. Cornering feels tight and relatively
sporty, but it lacks the conviction to make it
either a screaming sports sedan or a luxurious
highway barge. The result is a tepid combination of
the two that suggests an identity crisis in the
handling department.
Three
engines are available, all with 2.4 liters of
displacement and five (that's no typo) cylinders.
The base engine is normally aspirated to make 168
horsepower; the 2.4T adds a low-pressure
turbocharger to create 197 horses; and the
high-performance T5 uses a high-pressure
turbocharger to make 247 horsepower.
All the
engines are smooth and relatively quiet, despite --
and because of -- the unusual inline five-cylinder
layout. It's a great combination of performance and
economy, as even the speedy T5 averages 26 miles per
gallon on the highway with an automatic
transmission. An available manual gearbox can bump
that figure up to 27.
One of
the most important and practical safety features
added this year is the all-wheel drive (AWD) model,
a high-end S60 only available with an automatic
transmission. It sends power to the front wheels for
neutral handling in most conditions and puts the
rear wheels to work as necessary on slippery
surfaces.
Other
changes for 2002 include:
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Standard electric foldable rear headrests.
--
Optional enhanced navigation system with a single
disc for the United States, larger screen and
optional remote control.
--
Improved throttle response for 2.4T and T5.
--
Stability and traction control for 2.4T, AWD and T5.
--
Available dynamic stability and traction control for
T5.
--
Sunroof is standard for 2.4, 2.4T and AWD.
--
Standard CD player for T5.
-- Sport
package (T5 only) with 17-inch wheels.
It's
nice to see Volvo's reputation for safety showing
some stylish Scandinavian attitude in cars like the
S60. The company's future retro designs finally will
have some good-looking cars to draw from.
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