Swedespeed Track Test: 2011 Volvo S60 T6 AWD

Words and Photos by Stu Fowle

Oct 20, 2010 - 9:11:45 AM

I have to be seeing things. I’m three hours east of Portland, Oregon and ever since breaking through the backside of the Cascades, it’s been all pickup trucks and tumbleweeds. But here I am sitting in a parking lot, worried about going any further on account of my hallucinations. In front of me, I swear, is one of the coolest looking race circuits I’ve ever seen and, what’s more, pit row is full of brand new Volvos. And not a single safety demonstration in sight!

But no, it’s all somehow real.

The 2011 Volvo S60 T6 AWD, as we learned in Portugal a few months back, is indeed a new kind of car for the company. We found its steering, it’s healthy, 300 horsepower, turbocharged motor, and its intelligent all-wheel-drive system to be among its best assets, and yes, the car is on the “naughty” side, like the current ad campaign claims. But naughty enough for hot laps?

Oregon Raceway Park is a 2.3-mile circuit in Grass Valley, Oregon that opened just last summer. It includes 14 hair-raising corners and 400 feet of elevation change. Run counter-clockwise, two left-handers in a row drop downhill and off-camber. A series called “the halfpipe” is the signature turn, though we enjoyed the challenge of braking over a hump on Valkyrie Hill into turn five. All of it is crazy, almost as much so as the bold move to build a track so far out from civilization. We hope other services grow around the track, because this is a circuit that really shouldn’t fail.



But anyway, the car. On our first drive, we were able to get into any color combination, so long as it was Vibrant Copper Metallic with Beechwood leather. It’s certainly one of the most attractive pairings not only in the S60 lineup but in the industry as a whole, but we have to say we were happy to see Flamenco Red cars out at the track with black interiors and metallic trim. After seeing this combo in person and then playing with the online configurator, the idea of sitting down and ordering a car would be extremely hard for us. There are too many good, unique options.

Pit lane at ORP exits to a steep drop and the first off-camber left, so we shove the gear selector into sport mode by pushing the handle into the manual gate but not bumping it either direction. This sport mode — a new Volvo feature with the S60 — does a good job of holding the right gear but doesn’t downshift as quick as we’d like. Going to full manual mode would help this, and we’d be more tempted to do so if the S60 offered paddle shifters.

Something we wouldn’t fiddle with is the S60’s firmest of three steering settings. We say, just get rid of the other two options, especially the seriously overboosted lightest setting. On both road and track, the heaviest setting proves to be the most involving Volvo steering in a very long time. It’s never fatiguing, so people worried about the idea of “heavy” steering shouldn’t even be concerned. Really, it just fits the rest of the car’s character, and we’re big fans of cars with consistent personalities.

If the new S60’s personality truly is naughty, its drivetrain is its core. Well, most of it. We’re still disappointed with the six-speed automatic’s slow and clunky shifts, especially on downshifts; it won’t be doing much to silence the critics who want a manual transmission option. The T6, however, is among the world’s best engines, smooth, melodic, and always responsive. It’s a perfect weapon out on the track, and it almost makes up for the transmission because, with so much torque always on tap, shifting isn’t necessary very often.



The power’s put down via a very competent Haldex all-wheel drive system, aided here by an electronic torque vectoring system that regulates braking at individual wheels for more grip through corners. The system remains biased toward the front wheels (95 percent of the torque goes there in normal conditions) as everyone would expect, so while the S60’s limits through corners are surprisingly high, it still drives more like a front-drive car than a rear-drive one. Eventually, the front tires do give in and let loose with a howl. At its limits is not a place where the S60 likes to live.

Weighing well beyond 4000 pounds, the S60’s limits are likely reached on account of its heft just as much as its tires or chassis might contribute. As we noted in our first drive, though, the weight does have the side effect of making the S60 feel solid and upscale, and those are assets that can be appreciated more than track-readiness. The brakes didn’t complain about the mass they were slowing, though, which is pretty impressive.

Few S60 owners will ever bring their cars anywhere near a race circuit, we know. But the fact that the company took its newest sedan to one of the most intimidating tracks we’ve seen shows a lot of faith in the car’s abilities. Is the open tarmac the S60’s natural setting? No, it’s a bit too heavy — especially up front — and that transmission is a bit too lazy. But the car more than held its own through a full day of abuse, which is great news for Volvo’s new entry into a class that’s more sport-biased than ever. It manages to pull this off without sacrificing anything in the way of comfort and safety, Volvo’s most notable trademarks.

Volvo’s whole “naughty” campaign might be a bit contrived, but the car behind it isn’t. The company needs a strong, unique entry into this segment following a full year since the last S60 went out of production. After a second go with the new car, we’re confident the new S60 will be the hit Volvo needs right now. And we’re excited to see how the R-Design model turns up the volume next year.