[blueandsilver]

Last friday I was finally able to see the V60 in person after 1.5 years of seeing it being sold in Europe only... I wanted one since it was released so... no surprise I loved it at first sight.

Volvo Mexico is only bringing a couple of trims a "kinetic" and the "evolution" the main changes are the audio system (the basic has a 5" screen and only aux input, the evolution has a 7" with bluetooth, usb, more speakers), the wheels are 17" Njord vs 16" Oden, front parking sensors and rear view camera, and the PCC auto communicator. No leather offered though in any trim which unfortunately I think its going to doom its sales in Mexico, because at the price point where its placed most people want leather.

The only engine available is the european T5, i.e. Ford´s ecoboost 2.0 liter with 240 hp and a 6 speed double clutch transmission (also Ford) Powershift.

So on to the test drive. It feels very solid, not too soft but neither harsh at all, very well planted, the engine is more of a "jekill & hide" kind where the car feels slow at launch but once the turbo kicks in it feels very powerful, though not the kind of "sink you in the seat" turbos that can provoke torque steer, the turbo kicks in smoothly. the engine is very smooth for a turbo.

Compared to my old V50 T5, the 5 cylinder´s turbo kicks in a lot earlier and feels faster at launch, but not a huge difference at top speed. Of course the V60 has to move a heavier mass.

The interior has an amazing quality, I fell in love with it, I actually loved the fabric seats (I love the leather seats also but its not a killer for me if the car doesn´t have leather).

The trunk / hatch area is a bit smaller than the V50, but I loved the cargo area net (the one that separates the cargo area from the rear seats). it can be rolled up and down very quickly and you can either separate just the cargo area, or if you drop the seatbacks you can also pull them up behind the front seats. Awesome for us pet owners!

Even though I just purchased the Focus, I took the plunge and ordered one. I really love Volvo wagons. I ordered a Savile Grey with black fabric interiors. Will post pics on thursday (delivery day!)

 

[ptpatrick]

What? Mexico gets V60's but we dont in the USA? Are they not part of VCNA? This aint cool...all im sayin'...it aint cool. Come on VCNA, get us some V60's.

 

[Almeida]

Congratulations! You won't regret getting the V60, I'm sure!

I have to challenge your assessment of the trunk area however - from my experience (my father drives a V50, so I've had the two cars right next to each other) there isn't a lot of difference size-wise between the cargo area of the V50 and the V60. The V60 is a lot wider than the V50 which really improves trunk space. Officially the V60's trunk is 5 liter larger than the V50's...

 

[Adrian-C30R]

What? Mexico gets V60's but we dont in the USA? Are they not part of VCNA? This aint cool...all im sayin'...it aint cool. Come on VCNA, get us some V60's.

EXACTLY WHY I'VE BEEN RANTING ON ABOUT IT ON VOLVO'S FB PAGE!!!!! HOW could they possibly make profits in Mexico and NOT in the U.S.?!?!?! Seriously... Half of Mexico's cars are Ford/Dodge/Chevy trucks and the other 47% are econo boxes (those horrid Chevrolet "Chevy"s) or things like the VW Fox).

 

[blueandsilver]

EXACTLY WHY I'VE BEEN RANTING ON ABOUT IT ON VOLVO'S FB PAGE!!!!! HOW could they possibly make profits in Mexico and NOT in the U.S.?!?!?! Seriously... Half of Mexico's cars are Ford/Dodge/Chevy trucks and the other 47% are econo boxes (those horrid Chevrolet "Chevy"s) or things like the VW Fox).

I agree with you guys, keep on sending emails to Volvo Corporate in the USA asking them to bring the V60. That´s what I did here in Mexico. I think I´ve sent at least 4 or 5 emails to Volvo Central offices here inquiring about the V60 til they finally brought it. They responded to my last email the same day refering my name to the dealer, who contacted me promptly.

From what I see Volvo is such a small niche brand down here that they just have the ability to respond quickly.

When I was talking to the dealer manager I asked him why they just couldn´t bring it sooner. I mean its the SAME vehicle as the S60 with a different rear end, and Volvo is so small here in Mexico they don´t carry many stock of spare parts, so even for the S40s and S60s if you need something other than regular stuff, you´ll have to wait 15 days for them to import the parts from Europe. So its the same bringing any Volvo down here.

But I won´t rant, I´m very happy they brought me my V60!!! And so far they have treated me like a Regal Client!

 

[blueandsilver]

Congratulations! You won't regret getting the V60, I'm sure!

I have to challenge your assessment of the trunk area however - from my experience (my father drives a V50, so I've had the two cars right next to each other) there isn't a lot of difference size-wise between the cargo area of the V50 and the V60. The V60 is a lot wider than the V50 which really improves trunk space. Officially the V60's trunk is 5 liter larger than the V50's...

That´s a good point. The V60 is indeed wider. My assesment was based more on the height of the cargo area, and since the V50 is more boxy on the back it seems larger. But hey if it´s bigger then that´s perfect LOL

 

[Jexx]

Congrats!

I would assume the market for the wagon is much more competitive here in the US, costs to get it mandated would be exorbitant, and other factors make it not so feasible to bring to the US.

 

[blueandsilver]

Down here there are currently two alternatives: The Golf Sportwagen and now the V60. People don´t buy wagons here except some crazy "locos" like me. The marketing people think SUVs and crossovers are better than wagons and push towards selling them. Women (the main target for suvs and crossovers) hate wagons, they want the high ride and the "tough" look and think wagons belong to their grandfathers or mariachis LOL.

To me, a wagon makes total sense as opposed to a tall suv or a 4 door sedan because I need the cargo space for my dogs (one of them has elbow problems and can´t jump up and down of a tall suv) and second, I´m an avid cyclist and need to put my bikes on the top of the car (on a bike carrier). Tall SUVs are a pita if you try to put bikes up there. Then there´s the handling difference of a wagon vs SUV (which I drive a lot on twisty roads), and finally because I think wagons look gorgeous!

 

[JAS]

EXACTLY WHY I'VE BEEN RANTING ON ABOUT IT ON VOLVO'S FB PAGE!!!!! HOW could they possibly make profits in Mexico and NOT in the U.S.?!?!?! Seriously... Half of Mexico's cars are Ford/Dodge/Chevy trucks and the other 47% are econo boxes (those horrid Chevrolet "Chevy"s) or things like the VW Fox).

Because it costs millions of dollars to federalize a car to sell in the USA, manufacturers do not bring vehicles that are expected to sell in low volumes. They can't just bring in a "few cars" to sell for those who want them.

It even has to be done on different powertrain combos, hence the limited number of options available stateside.

 

[blueandsilver]

Because it costs millions of dollars to federalize a car to sell in the USA, manufacturers do not bring vehicles that are expected to sell in low volumes. They can't just bring in a "few cars" to sell for those who want them.

It even has to be done on different powertrain combos, hence the limited number of options available stateside.

Wow I didn´t know it was such a PITA process to certify a car for US sale. So even though it is just a S60 wagon it still has to go through the whole process, and they have to do it for every single engine type also? No wonder why you guys don´t get a lot of cars that are sold down here. For example, down here we had the BMW X1 since launch (europe launch almost 2 years ago), we´ve had the Audi A3 for more than 10 years, the BMW 1 Series since launch, the Audi A1 also...

Here in Mexico the challenge of bringing European cars is more on the marketable price points, because the Euro to Peso fx is terrible so european cars are very expensive and "amazing but true" there´s a lot of competition down here within premium brands. Since Ford sold Volvo they were left on their own here, so they have become a very small niche brand, I don´t even know if they have long term prospects in Mexico. They urgently need to start bringing the V40 and compete with Audi, BMW and Mercedes.

On a side note: MY DELIVERY DATE IS FRIDAY!!! YAY! Same day as the Olympics inauguration, which I love. Guess I´ll have to put a little sticker from the London Olympics on my car... and I got a mail from Volvo offices telling me I´m the first V60 buyer in the country... wow...

 

[stormlv]

Wow I didn´t know it was such a PITA process to certify a car for US sale. So even though it is just a S60 wagon it still has to go through the whole process, and they have to do it for every single engine type also? No wonder why you guys don´t get a lot of cars that are sold down here. For example, down here we had the BMW X1 since launch (europe launch almost 2 years ago), we´ve had the Audi A3 for more than 10 years, the BMW 1 Series since launch, the Audi A1 also...

Here in Mexico the challenge of bringing European cars is more on the marketable price points, because the Euro to Peso fx is terrible so european cars are very expensive and "amazing but true" there´s a lot of competition down here within premium brands. Since Ford sold Volvo they were left on their own here, so they have become a very small niche brand, I don´t even know if they have long term prospects in Mexico. They urgently need to start bringing the V40 and compete with Audi, BMW and Mercedes.

On a side note: MY DELIVERY DATE IS FRIDAY!!! YAY! Same day as the Olympics inauguration, which I love. Guess I´ll have to put a little sticker from the London Olympics on my car... and I got a mail from Volvo offices telling me I´m the first V60 buyer in the country... wow...

I think you're twisting the knife here, hehe
Enjoy the V60, I'm sure it's going to be a treat.
I don't think there are that many owners with the dual-clutch version...How does it feel to drive and how does it behave in 0-60 for instance?

 

[JAS]

Wow I didn´t know it was such a PITA process to certify a car for US sale. So even though it is just a S60 wagon it still has to go through the whole process, and they have to do it for every single engine type also? No wonder why you guys don´t get a lot of cars that are sold down here. For example, down here we had the BMW X1 since launch (europe launch almost 2 years ago), we´ve had the Audi A3 for more than 10 years, the BMW 1 Series since launch, the Audi A1 also...

Exactly. Even if the same car is offered with the same engine, but with an option for a manual, both models need to be federalized separately. Unfortunately, that translates into a very, very limited set of options for buyers in the US.

Taking the Evoque as an example, the ROW models have four different engines, available in both automatic and manual. Here, we get only one engine (known as the Si4), and one transmission (automatic). The good news is, since they can only offer a few selections, we typically get the most powerful models to appeal to a wider range of buyers.

 

[blueandsilver]

I think you're twisting the knife here, hehe
Enjoy the V60, I'm sure it's going to be a treat.
I don't think there are that many owners with the dual-clutch version...How does it feel to drive and how does it behave in 0-60 for instance?

The DCT (powershift) is kind of a love it or hate it transmission. I´ve been driving my Focus with the DCT (same as the one the V60 will have) for a couple of months and I like it, but it does feel like a manual trans, i.e. sometimes the clutch take at launch makes it vibrate a little, if you don´t fully apply brakes in an uphill the car rolls back (with full brakes the hill start assist brakes the car), sometimes it hesitates a bit during the shifts (specially when driving slowly it kinds of gets confused to upshift or downshift).

On the good side, it does feel like a a manual, so there´s no torque converters taking power off the engine, so it lets the engine rev freely like in a stick shift, and the gas mileage I´m getting on the Focus is amazingly good.

When I test drove the V60 the powershift felt a bit smoother than in the Focus, I could barely felt it shifting, it only hesitated a little bit while turning on a busy street, but nothing bad. I guess for me having the Focus previously kind of prepared me for the transmission.

On the Focus forums there are millions of complaints about the trans, but I find it to be very efficient. I drove stick shift cars for many many years so I´m very used to the feeling of these transmissions.

 

[blueandsilver]

It´s been a loooong 3 weeks... delivery has taken forever... Even though I took a car from the inventory (Volvo Mexico´s central inventory not the dealer inventory), I´m going through a whole process of registering the car with the authorities. Turns out there´s no way to get the registration and license plates because Volvo was still in the process of getting the official codes for the V60 (these codes are used to pay for registration, yearly taxes and other things, and its also used by insurance companies).

The car was finally delivered to the dealer on Monday but they are in the process of getting my license plates and passing the smog tests. I expect to have it by tuesday or wednesday.

My V60 is the first one sold in Mexico... they only brought 4 cars for this month, because the rest of the cars were sent as test vehicles to the several Volvo dealers.

Can´t wait to have it in my hands! Will post pics as soon as I get it.

On a side note, the 2012 Focus I´m trading off for the Volvo has been a terrific car. If anyone is looking for a similar compact 4 door car I highly recommend taking a close look at the Focus. If there were no budget constraints I´d keep it, but of course I prefer to keep my old Mustangs plus the Volvo