Sedans may be out of fashion right now, but I’m here to sing their praises – in particular, I’m here to praise the 2019 Volvo S60 T6 AWD R-Design that I drove for a week recently. While crossover SUVs are all the rage for their carrying capacity, taller stance and off-road pretensions, sedans win when it comes to elegance, lower center of gravity, and ability to conceal and secure cargo. Compared to the XC60, S60’s midsize equivalent in the Volvo lineup, the S60 T6 AWD delivers objectively superior fuel economy (21 mpg city/32 mpg highway/25 mpg combined for S60 vs. 21 mpg city/27 mpg highway/23 mpg combined for XC60) and subjectively better handling. It also has a nominally lower starting price ($40,150 vs. $40,300). My test vehicle, a Fusion Red Metallic example, came with a $6,100 R-Design package, a $2,500 Advanced package, $750 heated rear seats and heated steering wheel, $645 metallic paint, $3,200 Bowers and Wilkins premium sound, $300 Park Assist Pilot, $800 19-inch R-Design alloy wheels, and a $995 destination charge for an as-tested price of $55,490.
2019 Volvo S60 T6 AWD R-Design.
The 2019 Volvo S60 is a midsize sedan, the start of the third generation of the nameplate. The first-generation S60 ran from 2001 to 2009, and the second-generation vehicle took over from 2010 to 2018. The new S60 is built on Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, a highly flexible manufacturing and design plan that fixes only the front axle to dashboard distance, allowing engineers and designers to create a wide variety of vehicles that can share many key elements. The 2019 Volvo S60, along with a wagon variant, the V60, ride on the same platform as the XC90 crossover, S90 sedan, V90 wagon and XC60 crossover. The SPA platform vehicles can have unique wheelbase measurements, ride heights, exterior dimensions and interior layouts, while still using shared components and simple factory production line facilities. By shedding its legacy designs, Volvo has become a nimble manufacturer – almost a like a startup car company with nearly a century of car building experience.
T6 badge.
There’s a design rationale that supports the engineering decision to fix the distance between the front axle and the dashboard. Car designers frequently cite this dimension as a key determiner in the elegance of a car’s profile. S60 is thus imbued with a sophisticated profile, as the proportions of the rest of vehicle fall into line. Following a short front overhang with an upright grille, muscular wheel arches house aluminum alloy wheels. A deep scallop runs above the rocker panels, rising toward the rear of the vehicle. The rear overhang lifts up, ending in a flat trunk back. The greenhouse swoops back from the windshield, and slopes down in the rear, blurring the line between fastback and notchback. The look is sporty, sophisticated and assertive.
S60 dash.
S60 has one of the most attractive dashboards you’ll ever see. The star of the show is the nine-inch Sensus Connect touchscreen, flanked by HVAC outlets. A single row of toggles run beneath the touchscreen, anchored with a knob at center. The center console is similarly clean and uncluttered, with a gear selector lever, gnurled drive-mode control wheel, and a tambour-covered pair of cupholders. If you’ve selected the premium Bowers & Wilkens sound system, you’re treated to an eyeball tweeter at the top center of the dash and shiny aluminum speaker grilles on the doors (not to mention amazing sound quality). The interior is so tidy, crisp and, well, Scandinavian that it is really attractive from top to bottom.
S60 cabin.
Sensus Connect, the heart of Volvo’s infotainment system, is one of the most intuitive and easy-to-learn systems on any car right now. S60 gets the very latest version of the suite, along with an upgraded chipset that is 50 percent faster than previous versions. Screens seem to load faster, and simple, routine shifting from function-to-function is iPad fast. The now-familiar four-tile layout still works like a dream, with familiar tablet gestures (pinch and pull, swipe, etc.) working just like they should. Bluetooth hands-free and audio streaming are standard, as are Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (both of which require a USB connection).
S60 profile.
S60 T6 gets a supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder direct gasoline injection engine (316 hp/295 lb-ft of torque), mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The sedan is equipped with a double-wishbone front suspension with coil springs, hydraulic shock absorbers and a stabilizer bar, and an integral axle rear suspension with a transverse composite leaf spring, hydraulic shock absorbers and a stabilizer bar. Steering is handled by an electric rack-and-pinion system. There are four drive modes available: Eco, Comfort, Dynamic and Individual.
S60 demonstrating its stance.
Every S60 comes with City Safety, a suite of driver assistance features that includes collision avoidance and mitigation with other vehicles, with cyclists, with pedestrians and with large animals. City Safety provides braking and steering support, adding to the driver’s input when necessary to help avoid an accident. As part of the Advance package, my S60 came with Pilot Assist, Volvo’s “hands-on-the-wheel, eyes-on-the-road” driver assistance system. This system provides steering, distance and speed control in a variety of situations, which can make a long drive much less stressful and fatiguing.
S60 nose and grille.
Driving the S60 on everyday duty was a pleasure. I tend to spend most of my time in SUVs or in my personal full-size pickup truck, so it was a bit of an adjustment to be seated closer to the pavement. The lower seating position and overall center of gravity made cornering a breeze, without a hint of body roll. I was able to concentrate on “slow in, fast out” when I encountered a curve, and the S60’s unique turbocharged/supercharged engine erased any dips in power. The electric power steering by wire was a particular pleasure, with natural feel and weight. S60 is so nicely balanced that little if any mid-corner correction is required, with minimal understeer. So many of the challenges in the physics of an SUV are eliminated when the bulk of the car is lower.
Thor's Hammer detail in S60 light cluster.
At a time when mid-size sedans are perceived as a fading genre, it’s nice to meet such a well-sorted, sophisticated and fun new example. S60 will compete with some well-established competition, like the BMW 3 series (also newly refreshed for 2019), Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4, Cadillac ATS, Lexus ES (another fresh 2019 model) and Infiniti Q50. The 2019 Volvo S60 belongs in this elevated company thanks to its fresh exterior design, beautiful interior and entertaining powertrain and handling.
S60 tail.
