Volvo S60: a symphony of balance between power and weight

The desk is made of expensive wood. An agenda with leather cover, a black, heavy pen and a vintage table clock lay down on it in perfect order. You’d say that in the room it’s dark, although it’s the middle of the day and the sun is shining bright. The heavy, deep green velvet curtains adorn the big windows, with wooden frames. Once this was a ballroom. You can imagine princesses and princes dancing their feelings on high heels, on this original parquet floor that’s now covered here and there with the most exquisite, handmade carpets. You look at the chairs, you look at the paintings and you feel small. Too small in this room with a high ceiling which bears so many histories in its walls. And you somehow feel the need to look down. Respect, sobriety, integrity, elegance. They are all there, in a perfect balance.

I’ve been struggling to find my words to write about the new Volvo S60. It’s actually the first Volvo I drove and it’s one of the cars that kept amazing me during all the time we spent together, giving me the opportunity to discover it gradually and eventually fall in love.

 

The little description from above is inspired by how this car made me feel. The Volvo S60 is the ultimate definition of the aristocracy. If you consider yourself immature, you shouldn’t buy this car, I personally don’t think there will be any chemistry between you two. From my point of view, this car has been created for mature and experienced people that play in life’s high league. Those kinds of people that don’t exaggerate with their looks, don’t wear huge logos on their expensive accessories, are not vocal and between their personality and a diamond necklace, the personality shines better.

The Volvo I had for the test drive, courtesy of Autopolis Luxembourg, was an Osmium Grey S60 R-Design T5 Geartronic. Its price starts from 37.44.07 EUR but the one I drove is listed at 50.128,69 EUR (VAT included) and has many amazing options that make the driving experience something you are looking forward to every day.

Nothing has the air of cheap when it comes to this car. From the luxurious and comfortable car seats dresses in a combo of Nappa leather and textiles to all the remarkable options that the Volvo S60 offers to its passengers, this car is like a Christmas gift you can’t wait to discover. The best part of the experience is that since this car isn’t showing off all its assets from the beginning, you will be constantly impressed to discover more and greater stuff:

Such as this thing in the rear:

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Or this 230V socket:

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Or this socket from the trunk:

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Or the Harman Kardon audio system with 14 speakers and sound surround 660W:

One of the things I ADORE about this car is the little buttons that allow you to control the amount of AC that goes through the car vents. This is actually the first time I managed to be happy with the balance between the power and coolness of the climatization in a car. Chapeau, Volvo!

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The 250hp under the hood will never disappoint you on the roads. But don’t expect this car to be nervous and sporty, you won’t be drifting with it. This car is a symphony of balance between power and weight.

Overall, the driving experience it’s relaxing and suitable for anybody who isn’t necessarily crazy about driving, changing gears and pushing the acceleration pedal to the ground. You can select between 3 driving modes, depending on your driving style.

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The Volvo S60 did its homework very good at the safety chapter and will assist you in your driving with all sort of technologies, such as:

The City Safety Technology (It combines an automatic braking function with collision avoiding systems, covering large scenarios of potential accidents, in order to protect the passengers. This technology is the only one on the market which can detect pedestrians, cyclists and big animals), Adaptive Cruise Control, Pilot Assist, Curve speed adaption, BLis, Rear Collision Warning, Cross-Traffic Alert, Road Sign information with Speed Limiter, Lane Keeping Aid.

The S60 is the first Volvo model that doesn’t exist in a diesel version, and this shows the constructors interest in sustainability and transition towards e-mobility.

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I MUST have a dedicated paragraph to the sport car seats. Just look at the possibilities they offer in order to adjust and find a perfect position. Both front car seats have a cushion extension for feet and back support that can be set in 4 different positions. The driver’s car seat has also memory function. And of course, they also have a heating function.

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The portrait-oriented touchscreen display of 9 inch that integrates the Volvo Sensus multimedia system offers a great combination of options and information. It also features connected services and entertainment apps such as Spotify, Pandora, Baidu or TuneIn. This is the place from which you control mostly all of your Volvo’s features.

The digital screen of 12,3 inch placed behind the steering wheel displays important driving information that you can personalize depending on the questions you may have.

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In the interior, not only the comfortable chairs and great information on the digital displays will offer you comfort. I’m in love with all these storage spaces and the design of the center console, which offers everything you need, at the reach of your hand.

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The Volvo S60 presents distinctive design elements, such as the LED headlights in the shape of a T, reminding of Thor’s hammer, the front grille decorated with the iron’s symbol and the Volvo writing in the rear.

The beautiful LED headlights are anti-fog and you can add as option high-pressure washing. They also adjust automatically (Active High Beam II).