Model In The Middle
by Ross Finlay (12 Oct 00)

Using familiar engines and transmissions, a roofline which owes a great deal to the C70 coupé, and rear-end styling borrowed from the S80, the new compact executive Volvo might have turned out to be quite a pig's breakfast. However, the S60 looks like creating its own niche within the expanded Volvo range, slipping in between the already established models.

Tending more towards the cab-forward layout than any previous Volvo model, the new car has good enough rear cabin headroom, but despite the inset backs of the front seats it doesn't provide generous kneeroom there. Compact is definitely the theme. Volvo says, though, that the boot holds almost as much luggage as the S80's.

Standard models have S trim, and the SE versions are noticeably better equipped. The top rated interiors feature very supportive leather-upholstered seats, and one thing which should certainly help the S60 is that all the controls work in a pleasant, well-damped way.

There's good kneeroom for the front passenger, because the fascia curves away. And there are optional rear seating arrangements - Comfort and Dynamic - depending on whether the owner is or is not likely to do much running with three people in the back.

At launch there are three sizes of engine, all five-cylinder turbo, variable valve timing petrol units, light in weight and with reduced internal friction. The entry level car has a 180bhp two-litre, then there's a 200bhp 2.4-litre light-pressure engine, while the 2.3-litre T5 has the full-whack high-pressure turbo 250bhp specification. A diesel is on its way, but won't be on the UK market till next year.

Rowing Ashore

Low-slung, with a wide wheelbase and long track, the three S60 variants sit snugly on the road. On a launch route mostly on country roads, many of which were quite waterlogged early on, each of them ran smoothly and cornered flat, without heavy body roll. In the conditions, the standard anti-wheelspin system cut in every now and again, and even the T5, which I'm sure might feel, in some situations, a bit overpowered, never showed any real sign of being about to step out of line.

On paper, the two-litre may seem the baby of the range, but it doesn't feel wimpish out on the road, because 180bhp in a car of this size isn't to be sneered at. It takes the S60 to 62mph in 8.8 seconds, although that increases to 9.5 seconds with the automatic transmission option.

The T5 rips off to 62mph in 6.8 seconds, and when you let that car loose you know there's plenty of power and an impressive power to weight ratio. But there are several electronic systems to make sure lead-footed types don't overdo things.

For many people who don't want a bottom of the range car, the light-pressure 2.4 will hit the spot. It has noticeably better mid-range pull than the two-litre, and 7.6 seconds to 62mph will be quick enough for many buyers.

On the various test routes, at speeds reasonable for the weather, the handling certainly seemed composed, and you could say much the same about the ride quality. The days are long gone when Volvos felt quite harshly suspended and simply battered their way across rumpled surfaces.

Solid Build

Like other Volvos, the S60 is built round a sturdy central structure, with industry-leading front, rear and side impact protection systems. It's partly that, of course, which once again allows the suspension to do its work without needing to be compromised to take account of any lack of rigidity in the monocoque.

There's pollen-filtered air conditioning, and this is one of the models with the Premair radiator system which, when heated to normal running temperature, converts most of the road-level ozone it picks up into oxygen.

Volvo will give the S60 its UK "reveal" at the Birmingham Show, and the car will go on sale in November. Planned sales volumes are quite modest at 6000 petrol versions in the first full year. That's well below the numbers achieved by similar models from Munich, Stuttgart and Ingolstadt, but Volvo seems to be quite happy with a degree of exclusivity.

Prices will start at £19,995 for the two-litre S. The 2.4 comes in from £22,095, while the T5 costs £23,995 as an S and £25,795 in the SE specification.

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