While I don't agree with the review, it's honestly not that different from others I have seen around the world.

The problem for Volvos is that the enthusiast reviews will favor the German makes. Part of this is subconscious on the part of the reviewers (repeat a story enough times and it becomes fact) but part is that the BMWs, etc. do drive extremely well.

The stupidity of all of this of course is that a magazine's 3 hour test drive will not tell you how often a car will be in the shop. That's where the Germans are a mess. My Mercedes AMG was one of those cars that the reviewers will tell you is a superior car. And, when it drove, it was indeed fantastic. But, it was constantly sidelined by various mechanical and electrical gremlins.

Ergo, I recently replaced it with an S60 R-Design. It's fun, fast and, if it follows the lead of my '98 S70, will be reliable. I will allow others the "joy" of driving a "superior German car."

 

My 2014 T6 RD is an awesome ride. Only things I'd change at this point are stronger brakes (the IPD sway bar worked magic as far as handling is concerned.)

 

If you read other reviews, it seems like German cars are the only Benchmark out there. I can't believe they said the steering wheel feel was cheap; doubtful on any trim level in Volvo's line up. Road noise issues can be attributed to crummy tires and I would assume a little worse with 19" vs 18" wheels. Only wind noise I get on my car is on really bad cross winds with the BLIS mirrors, but my wife's T5 AWD (no BLIS) doesn't have any noise issues at all! Brakes on my R-Design are the only thing I would upgrade and the rear sway bar if I was looking to get a tad bit more performance out of the car. But overall I'm very statisfied with my '12 RD and '13 T5 AWD.

 

Brakes on my R-Design are the only thing I would upgrade and the rear sway bar if I was looking to get a tad bit more performance out of the car.

I think the 2013 S60 R-D started using the 336 mm rotors from the S80 V8 and XC90 V8. So you could probably switch to that for a reasonable price (calipers, rotors, pads).

I haven't done any track days in the S80 V8 yet but the pedal feel driving on the street "enthusiastically" feels as good as the pedal on my S60R did with race pads and Motul 600 fluid. Definitely better than the XC70 (though Motul 600 fluid made that feel a bit better too).

 

Her's my quick take on the S60 vs 3-series. I have a 2012 S60 T5 and my wife a 2011 328ix with 6-speed manual and sports package.
As far as handling, solid-fee, and absorbing road bumps, the BMW wins. It will definitely provide you with more pleasure in spirited driving and nothing beats the sound of the inline 6.
BUT you are really comparing apples with oranges. The Volvo has more comfortable seats, more power, more interior space, and better fuel economy. It is probably cheaper to own as well. And that's the T5 and not the RD which is better. The Volvo is more unique too.
We drove the latest 328ix with the turbo 4 as a loaner and were completely underwhelmed. It does not have much power from a stand still and requires you to step on it to feel it go. Everything about it felt cheaper.
To get the real BMW feel you have to go with the sports package which I hear are watered down in the latest model.

 

^Spot on.

 

So it was the Australians that demanded the temps spare???

And I wouldn't judge a performance car with Bridgestones. No way do the Germans compete on interior comfort. What a joke.

 

All in all I seriously doubt this magazine's credibilty as an impartial entity.

Putting things into a little perspective, you have got to appreciate that "Caradvice" is actually one of the more respected car sites in Australia and have a long history of perhaps being the most "Volvo-friendly" car reviewers we have. Take the time to read some of their other reviews of Volvo models and you will see what I mean.

The criticism relating to the weight of the car (and therefore the impact on handling) and the fuel efficiency of the T6 compared with their rivals is perfectly valid. If anyone has problems with these statements then perhaps its time to take off your rose-coloured glasses. I agree the criticism of the tyre noise is a little harsh given the use of Bridgestone tyres. But then this is what the car is supplied with and so worthy of comment. At least Caradvice has indicated the brand of tyre supplied.

The comments about the interior - I fairly well agree with them and always have. Its pleasing that Volvo have learnt they lesson about their mistakes with the interior of the S60/V60 and have lifted their game with the V40. Its is very arguably best in class. The same cannot be said for the S60/V60.

Also there is a bit of confusion about the T4 and T5 petrol engines - all down to Volvo Australia. The T4 engine (a 1.6 l 4-cylinder DI turbo engine sourced from Ford) was actually called the T5 engine in previous year S60/V60 models. A new engine (at least for the S60 in the Australian market) is the T5 which is a 2.0l 4-cylinder turbo engine. It is not the 2.5l 5-cylinder engine familiar to those in the US. Both the T4 and T5 are mated to Ford's Powershift transmission. The T6 (the 3.0l inline I6) is mated to the standard Volvo 6-speed auto transmission. Perfectly clear isn't it. Just wait until next March when we get the new e-Drive engines and we (as will I understand the US) will have two T6 engines.

To TexaS60r's comment about the space saver spare. We Aussies (and Volvo Australia) have always had a thing about spare tyres. When Volvo first launched the recently dropped S40/V50 back in 2005, we were one of the few markets that had a full size spare. Even though it was dropped as standard fitment (in favour of a tempa spare) the option of a full size spare continued right up until the S40 and V50 were discontinued. When the S60 (and V60) was first launched here in Australia the motoring press really went to town over the lack of even a tempa spare. And it did have an impact on sales. A year or so back they quietly added a tempa spare as standard fitment. And now for this years models there is an option for the tempa spare to be fitted below a new higher boot/trunk floor. When the V40 was launched here in Australia earlier this year it was supplied as standard with a tempa spare fitted below the boot floor - something that is only an option in most European market.

Tony

 

Also there is a bit of confusion about the T4 and T5 petrol engines - all down to Volvo Australia. The T4 engine (a 1.6 l 4-cylinder DI turbo engine sourced from Ford) was actually called the T5 engine in previous year S60/V60 models. A new engine (at least for the S60 in the Australian market) is the T5 which is a 2.0l 4-cylinder turbo engine. It is not the 2.5l 5-cylinder engine familiar to those in the US. Both the T4 and T5 are mated to Ford's Powershift transmission. The T6 (the 3.0l inline I6) is mated to the standard Volvo 6-speed auto transmission. Perfectly clear isn't it. Just wait until next March when we get the new e-Drive engines and we (as will I understand the US) will have two T6 engines.

The 2.0L turbo I4 is also a Ford engine (Ecoboost).

But it gets even more confusing here in China...

Here for MY2014 the S60/V60 T5 uses the Volvo 2.0L turbo I5 (B5204T9), so it is true to its name. However, the XC60 T5 uses the aforementioned Ford 2.0L I4 (with Powershift transmission).

In addition, for MY2013 the lowest spec S60 used a detuned version of the 2.0L I5 (B5204T8) which had 180hp vs 214hp. This model was simply called "2.0" while the more powerful models got the T5 (and T6 for the I6) designation. The V60 wasn't available with the detuned engine so it T5 and T6 are the only versions we had to worry about.

For MY2012 and prior the S60 was available with the Ford turbo 1.6L I4 and 2.0L I4 - the 1.6L was called "DRIVe" and I believe the 2.0L had "2.0" badging rather than T4/T5. As for the V60, MY2012 was the first year it was sold here and was only available in T6 R-Design guise for that year.

Finally, the new V40 uses both versions of the 2.0L turbo I5. Here the models with the 180hp engine don't have any 2.0 or T5 badging whereas the top model with the 214hp engine gets the T5 designation.

Confused yet?

 

I echo the statements made by brissim.

And in fact, I respect the posted review a lot. I dislike reviews that only praise a product and just point out a few obvious flaws. No car is perfect and I want honesty about why it is not perfect. Not just praise for the manufacture letting them drive a car.

 

I dislike reviews that only praise a product and just point out a few obvious flaws. No car is perfect and I want honesty about why it is not perfect. Not just praise for the manufacture letting them drive a car.

I do as well.
But on the matter of the interior or the steering wheel 'feel' they are simply wrong.
That's not "honesty", that's bias.

 

I believe the review is fair and honest.

Caradvice review hundreds of cars ranging from your grandmas Prius to the Lamborghini Aventador and have been doing so for many years. I also happen to know one of the reviewers relatively well - he did this Volvo review : http://www.caradvice.com.au/147012/volvo-s60-t4-review/

 

It occurs to me that some magazines will always criticize makes that don't buy advertising in their book. Could that be a factor here as well?

Just wondering.

 

NOt really. People who I know call it as it is - irrespective of advertising bias.

 

The commentary on the steering wheel leather makes the writer sound ridiculous to me. Period. He loses credibility on other statements in my mind with such a flagrant bias. While I still miss the leather in my R, the RD ain't bad and certainly on par with other competitors. So how does it feel cheap? And I'm not buying personal preference. Oh, and what of the pitiful safety and reliability of the Germans. I guess journalists don't worry with those silly concerns. Bias.

 

Automatically discrediting opinions that don't align with your own is the very definition of bias.

 

If you read the comments below the article, readers and owners mostly disagree with the review.

 

The writer is obviously the problem. Most of the article is listing options and trim levels.

 

I've had three BMW's, one bad, one ok, one good as far as problems.

The current BMW (3 or 5) does not have the handling or steering feel of the prior models. Reviewers just love the image and style so much they can't help themselves. I've driven the S60 T6 (back in '11) and my E90 3 series with 18" wheels was noisier and rode a little rougher than that did. We have very smooth roads here so maybe we don't appreciate the suspension sophistication of the BMW as much, but some of these reviewers suffer from "princess and the pea syndrome". Turn on the radio, watch the road, and enjoy. They're picking nits.

 

I think each car has its pros and cons. I have always thought comparing a BMW to a Mercedes to a Volvo is just dumb. Car magazines always praise the best handling, more responsive cars, hence the BMWs always win. BMWs are built to have that engaging driver feeling. I had a 1 Series, a 3 Series (previous gen) and a X3. All three cars had an outstanding handling and in a twisty road were definitely unbeatable. Does that make them better than the Volvo? Definitely not.

The 1 series was underpowered, the 3 series had a very harsh ride over bad roads (which are 90% of roads) their bellies rub over ALL speedbumps, the steering is hard. The X3... I won´t even bother, it´s an unworthy car for BMW, slower than a cow with the worst bouncy ride. unless you get the 335i engine, the rest of their engines don´t have enough power (the 2.5i engine is terribly slow)

The Mercedes on the other hand have a very refined ride, the ones my brother and father had (they´ve had over 6 of them because my brother worked at Daimler) were very powerful cars. I took one of the C Classes over a long weekend drive... and afterwards I decided to never own one. The seats are as flat and hard as a park bench. After just a 2 hour drive my butt was numb, my back was hurting. And those plasticky materials on the seats are horrible.

The Volvos (I speak for all I had, from V40 to V50 to V60). Love the powerful engines, the ride is not as plush as the MB not as harsh as the BMW, I´d say the "perfect" middle of the ground. None of my Volvos handles like the BMWs on the twisty roads, that´s true, but they are not terrible by any means, quite sufficient for the average ride. The seats... I absolutely love Volvo seats, for a long drive nothing beats the Volvo in terms of comfortable seating. I drove across the country in my old V40 for over 12 hours, pretty much non stop. All four passengers, two of them over 60 y/o arrived in perfect shape, no numb butts, no backs hurting, surprisingly not tired. Interior quality in the V60 is awesome, I don´t think the BMW or MB are better.

Soo, if you want the ultimate driving machine, indeed get the BMW. If you want a very refined ride with good power but horrible seats get the MB. If you want good power, best seats and a car that doesn´t call attention, then the Volvo...