Our test car of the week is the 2019 Volvo V60 T6 in the Inscription trim. Our vehicle was assembled at the Torslanda plant in Sweden with an MSRP of $65600. The plant is one of the biggest ones for Volvo and also holds their headquarters, with the following motto “Increased capacity – for ever-higher quality.”
Fun Factor: 8
Can it Family: 8
Fuel-Friendly: 6
HWY-warrior: 8
Karaoke Friendly: 10
Baby friendly: 7
City Cruising: 6
After driving the Volvo V60 for over a week now, we don’t understand why people in North America still prefer SUV’s. As the V60 is sportier, more maneuverable and provides more space than comparable SUV in its size. Our model was equipped with a 2 liter supercharged & turbocharged 4 cylinder with an output of 316hp @ 5700 rpm providing 295 lb-ft of torque between 2200-5400 rpm. Volvo announces the V60 to achieve 0-100 km/h in 5.8 seconds. In our test, we used 18-inch winter eco-tires. We were able to reach 100 km/h in 6.95 seconds. The difference in result can be attributed to the non-performance tires and also transmission seeming to hesitate when to shift. The hesitation seems to come when the engine moves from the supercharger to the turbocharger. Those are very respectable results, especially when comparing to the BMW 330i Sports Wagon that achieves 100km/h in 6.9 seconds as per BMW and the C300 performs similarly in 6 seconds to 100km/h. We’ve had so much fun driving the V60 that it was hard returning the car to Volvo. The V60 engine wants to be encouraged, rewarding the driver with a beautiful sounding supercharger spooling up and then when you thought that the compressor finished its work, the turbo kicks in and pushes you back in your seat, with that typical Turbo note from Volvo. All engine sounds were executed most elegantly without having anything forced induced into the speakers to make them sound better than they are. Cornering felt sporty even if it felt a little artificial and assisted at lower speeds, however some might enjoy this as it makes parking in smaller spaces easier. All of this is forgiven as the center of gravity is low, making the V60 a well-balanced wagon on the road at higher speeds and nimble when having to make abrupt changes.
Now can the V60 be a family hauler? Whoever doubted a station wagon couldn’t fit a family lifestyle hasn’t driven one and transported items with them. We are even less surprised that wealthier Americans are getting more to station wagons: in 2018 sales of satiation wagons have almost increased by 30%. Let’s start with cargo, the boot offers 529 liters of storage. This is more than the BMW 3 series 495 liters. We were able to put 6 small carry-ons in the trunk; when you flip the rear seats that space increases up to 1,441 liters. Yes, that could potentially mean that 2 adults could have enough space to sleep in the trunk.
As for the back seats, 3 adults could sit in the back. However, 2 things will make it more difficult. First, the transmission tunnel is wide and tall making whoever seated in the middle having to spread their legs. The result is that the passengers on the side might not sit as comfortably as if only 2 adults were sitting in the back. Those seated on each extremity will be pampered in the winter by heated seats and dual climate control. In our opinion, smaller passengers will love the rear seats as they’ve been molded for them and gives them great visibility out the windows. The low seating position makes it less comfortable for adults as the rear seats have a slight angle in them. The front seats are very comfortable and are easily adjustable and offer a well-balanced package for your back on longer journeys. Also, you can choose between having heated or cooled seats and even combine both characteristics.
The fuel consumption of the V60 as announced by Volvo is as following: 11.1L per 100km in the city, 7.3 on the HWY, giving a combined result of 9.4 Liter per 100km. In our tests, the results we’ve achieved were 12.9L per 100 km in the city, 8.5L per 100 km on the HWY, giving us a combined result of 11.6L per 100 km. The total distance traveled was 600km. These results were achieved with temperatures oscillating between -10c and +3c. Our wagon was equipped with the following tires Micheline X-ICE 235/45R18. We would have liked to see slightly lower gas consumption results, especially when comparing to direct competitors such as the C300 wagon and BMW touring version of the 3-series. The results achieved were on the higher end of the spectrum, nevertheless with the engine being tuned in a sporty fashion and the supercharger being thirstier than a more traditional turbo. Your gas consumption will increase quickly as each time you'll put your foot down to accelerate you will want to hear your supercharge spool up. We would love to see the V60 with the T6 Twin engine hybrid or even T8 Twin engine hybrid to reduce gas consumption in the city. This model takes a minimum of 91 octane premium gasoline.
This is the first time ever we’ve given a 10 out of 10 for a cars sound system, yes the $3750 optional Bowers & Wilkins sound system is worth every penny. Volvo has worked quite hard to have this type of integration in a car sound system. Not only will you be able to enjoy every melody in your car. You're going to experience something which very few people will experience in car sound systems, that your ears will also be blown away with the precision of the sounds replication of every note played from your 15 speakers. The 9 inch Sensus Infotainment is similar to the XC40’s we tested last week if you wish to get more details, read our previous review on the XC40. We did find that the integration of the screen, into the dashboard is more natural looking in the V60. The number of features available in this system is just astounding, they are very intuitive and easy to use. Volvo did an excellent job refining their system compared to the previous generation of the Sensus infotainment.
The Volvo V60 doors open wide making installation of child seats easy, they also offer simple to access ISOFIX ports. That fold up without having to remove the latch. Again comparing to last weeks model since the seats are less up right then the XC40 the installation is actually more straightforward and took us less time to install the seats than in the XC40. A maximum of 2 car seats can be installed in the rear, the middle seat has limited access once 2 cars seats are installed in the back.
The V60 offers versatility for everyday use: in the city, the length of the V60 will make parking on the streets harder, all of this is forgiven with the well-integrated self-parking system of the V60. We attempted to parallel park into a spot that was barely bigger then our car and the system was able to park us without any issues. Parking out was a different story since the car actually advised us that it wasn’t able to park out into a spot that it actually parked in by itself. This was quite funny in our opinion, however, with a little work, we were able to get out of our tight parking spot. The turning circle of the V60 is a lot easier to live with daily compared to the XC40 we drove last week. This car is an excellent alternative to the XC60, X3 and GLC if you're not into SUVs.
What we’ve liked on our Volvo V60: All that space in the trunk, that amazing Bowers & Wilkins sound systems, the heated steering wheel, easy installation of child seats, beautiful engine note.
What we’ve liked less on our Volvo V60: The high gas consumption in the city, the rear seating position for adults.
Notable competitors: BMW 3 series Sportswagon, Mercedes-Benz C-class Touring, Audi A4 Allroad Quattro
