[JayM]

I sat in the S60 at the Swedish Car show in Brookline MA. I immediately fell in love with the the interior, and the exterior looks pretty sweet too.

But my other love is the A4. It's getting a bit dated now, but it's a sweet looking car plus it's got quattro.

But it appears that new S60 owners aren't that pleased... tinny roof, notchy shifter. When you're payin' $35k+ for a car, this shouldn't be happening.

So weigh in, do you think the S60 is a better car than the A4?

 

[snoopdug]

I haven't driven the new A4 so I can't give you a comparison...however I'd suggest that you check out Edmunds and Volvospy to get a more balanced perspective on the s60....most people seem to love the car.

Disclaimer: I'm picking up my T5 on 12/29!!

 

[ESSSIXTY]

I looked at both the S60 and the A4. You're right, the A4 is showing its age. Since looks are important, I'm not buying a car that doesn't visually appeal to me, I looked at the S60 and the BMW 330 series. I found the S60 to offer BMW 5-series quality but at a fantastic price! When you look at everything the S60 has to offer it's tough to beat. That's after you get by it's exterior. It's gorgeous. And it's a Volvo-strange but true. It's definitely a personal choice, but the T5 offers so much performance and style, it's hard to beat. I'm awaiting a factory-ordered T5 that I'll be going to Sweden to pick up. I'm stationed in Germany so it will see time on the "no speed limit" autobahn. I had my pick of European cars, I can't wait.

 

[PK]

I agree! I'm also going to pick up a T5 in Sweden toward the end of march. I'm getting a Silver 5 speed w/ 17" wheels, leather/sunroof, upgraded stereo and touring package. I like the A4, but wouldn't have considered it (too small, plus I think it's changing body styles next year).
Good luck!

 

[ch7656]

I've owned 2 A4's a '97 and currently a '99 1.8 Quattro Tip. My current car has an engine chip and is putting out about 205hp.
I'm getting rid of the Audi and buying a S60 2.4T. And this coming from a guy that's owned 6 Audi's. The A4 remains a beautiful car and with the exterior upgrades in 99.5 still holds its' own in terms of styling. The '01 will have optional 17" wheels that will only add to the curb appeal of the A4. But in '02 (release this summer) the A4 will be totally redesigned. Picking up numerous styling cues from the current A6 the jury's still out on whether the new A4 will garner the same accolades that the current model did at launch.
The A4 is small, and while the posted interior dimensions of the two cars is very similar the Volvo just feels bigger from the inside The A4 engines are decent but they leave a void. The 1.8T in stock trim is very under-powered for the car and 2.8 is nice for highway cruising but not the best for zipping around town. As I mentioned my 1.8 is chipped and delivers good horsepower but I'm sure this is cutting into the longevity of my engine and drive-train. The Volvo offers a much broader choice of engine
And the safety factor, of course this goes to Volvo. If we were discussing this topic a year from now, I might be leaning more towards the Audi (maybe). But the new Audi isn't here yet and the S60 is so that's really a moot point.
I'm not waiting for the new A4 because everything I need in a car is here now in the form of the new S60. Great, drop dead gorgeous styling, Great Looking factory wheels, a broad range of engine choices, A decent sized interior, and above all else rock-solid safety features. At best the A4 will meet all these criteria but I doubt it will surpass the S60 in any way.

 

[JayM]

ch7656, great post. Here's a couple questions:

Did you find the shifter notchy (more so than an Audi)?

What about the roof?

 

[PK]

I could be wrong, but I think that when they have been referring to a notchy shifter they are referring to the manual transmission (2.4T is automatic).
I have test driven the manual transmission, and didn't find any problem with the shifter at all (I have read other reviews that praised it). One thing I can tell you is that the clutch has a very light feel (similar to Japanese cars), unlike similar German cars. While this may be undesirable for many sports drivers, it makes it easier to drive in heavy traffic.

CH7656: Congrats on your choice. I have only seen pictures of the new A4, but to me it looked to much like a "baby A6" (and I love the A6). Some have said similar things about the S60 and S80, but to me the S60 has a clear identity.

Happy Holidays!