Brilliant looks inside and out; ripper six-cylinder turbo; superb AWD chassis; great value
Sports suspension a bit firm on poor roads
Mark this down: the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design is one of the best cars we will drive this year. Historically that may not have been the case with the Swedish brand, but the latest turbocharged, all-wheel drive, Volvo V60 T6 R-Design is one of the most captivating, high performance European wagons we have driven for a long time.
And remember, this is the new Volvo, now with sound financial backing from new owners, the giant Geely Holdings Group from China, and re-invigorated under the direction of new CEO and President, Stefan Jacoby. Before joining Volvo, Mr Jacoby cut his teeth at the Volkswagen Group, was CEO of Chrysler Europe, then President of Volkswagen North America – he’s a global guy and a car guy, focused on driving Volvo’s sales growth by rolling-out desirable products in a variety of market segments.
The Volvo V60 joins the S60 and XC60 as drawing a line in the sand – these excellent vehicles represent the starting point that delivers a promising future.
Volvo V60 Overview
R-Design is to Volvo what AMG and M Sport are to Mercedes-Benz and BMW – the high performance departments – and the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design and S60 sedan T6 R-Design are the ‘top dogs’ in the Volvo lineup.
To the already stylish and nicely equipped V60 wagon, the R-Design touches go much further than the sporty exterior and interior changes and include a well-sorted sports suspension set-up.
The result is wagon, family car convenience with genuine high performance driving dynamics and looks. In Volvo’s case, the V60 T6 R-Design delivers all of that for a handy $72,150 sticker.
Volvo V60 The Engine
Power comes from Volvo’s six-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine which is a pearler. Maximum power is 224kW at 5600rpm and peak torque of 440Nm is between 2100rpm and 4200rpm.
Naturally this engine complies with Euro5 emissions standards and fuel consumption (combined cycle) for the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design is rated at 10.3l/100kms.
Drive is to all four wheels via a six-speed Geartronic automatic transmission.
Zero to 100km/h ticks by in 6.2 seconds – that’s as fast as the Mazda RX-8 sports car.
Also noticeable under the bonnet in the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design is a sporty strut tower brace – extra stiffness for sharper chassis tune. The R-Design package also brings monotube rear dampers, springs which are 15mm shorter and 15mm stiffer and firmer bushes.
Volvo V60 The Interior
Inside, the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design highlights its sporty credentials with superb R-Design front seats with even more side support than in previous designs. Our test car ran a black interior, which looked superb with contrasting stitching, and the overall quality underpinned the excellent value-for-money proposition of the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design.
The nice R-Design leather-wrapped steering wheel adjusted for rake/reach and combined with electronic adjustment for the drivers’ seat to deliver a great, sporty driving position. R-Design alloy pedals were another sporty touch.
R-Design models also gain unique ‘watch dial’ instrumentation and a Dolby 12-speaker audio system with a seven-inch touch screen (also the satellite navigation screen). Bluetooth and iPod connectivity is standard.
Rear seat accommodation was on par with others in this segment and the rear seat split folds 40:20:40 for load carrying versatility - Volvo says the V60 is the only wagon in this segment to offer that – and the luggage capacity is 430-litres (with the seats in place). And, especially for families, the wide 1095mm tailgate made for easy loading plus there’s an under-floor cargo spot to keep things out of sight.
Volvo V60 Exterior & Styling
The Volvo V60 is the wagon relative of the slickly styled, curvy S60 sedan – so its design genes are excellent (does anyone still remember ‘boxy’ Volvo wagons?).
For a wagon, the Volvo V60 delivers a surprising number of curves, not the least of which is the roof which combines with a high waistline to provide an almost coupe-like silhouette. Yes it’s a wagon, but this Swede has style with a capital ‘S’.
On top of that, Volvo’s sporty R-Design department has weaved its magic and the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design is a stunner, highlighted by a more aggressive front end with a glossy piano black grille, hexagonal pattern air intake and subtle use of matt black trim. At the rear there’s an under-bumper diffuser - also in hexagonal pattern - and twin, thick, chrome-tipped exhausts which really gives this wagon a muscly on-road presence.
Wheels are great-looking diamond cut ‘Ixion’ 18-inch alloys.
Volvo V60 On The Road
There’s just something special about high performance European wagons – the way they combine family wagon practicality while delivering the dynamic driving characteristics of their sedan siblings. And Volvo’s V60 T6 R-Design is as good as they get.
Stamp the throttle and the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design unleashes its 224kW/440Nm with a purposeful growl from the exhausts and rapid, no-fuss acceleration thanks to that slick six-speed Geartronic transmission and all-paw grip. Around town the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design has everything going for it for rapid freeway merging and overtaking – that brilliant performance from the turbo V6 and even the reassurance of blind-spot assist (an option fitted to our test car) to ensure you’re merging safely.
We thought the low front spoiler might be tested in our CBD car park or local shopping mall, but, nope, there were no grazes and - helped by the excellent reversing camera with directional lines - parking was a breeze.
But of course our high-speed mountain roads test loop beckoned and it was here where the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design won us over. Turn-in was crisp, mid-corner balance was spot on and throttle response was excellent – in short one of the best drives of 2011.
Comparisons with the ‘Benz C63 AMG Estate and BMW 335i M Sport Touring are inevitable and, like the Germans, the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design delivers its performance and dynamic road performance with ridiculous refinement and quietness.
Volvo V60 Challenges
The flipside of the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design’s lower, stiffer chassis set-up is some harshness, most noticeable when tackling Melbourne’s tram/train track crossings and on poorly maintained, coarse chip rural roads. It’s the same with similar vehicles like the Mercedes C63 AMG Estate and BMW’s 335i M Sport Touring.
Volvo V60 Verdict
In our books the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design is a winner – it looks great, drives superbly, in summary a very smartly packaged, high performance European wagon.
The Volvo V60 T6 R-Design is also great value – you get a lot of car with this Volvo, it’s comprehensively equipped and around $3,000 less than Audi’s A4 Avant Quattro.
Volvo V60 The Competition
Previously the ‘R’ version of Volkswagen’s Passat wagon would have been a rival for the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design but that model is not currently included in the German’s facelifted Passat range.
Audi’s A4 Avant Quattro is a tad more expensive at $75,500 and while not quite as racy as the Volvo V60 T6 R-Design, it carries all of the Audi dynamic qualities.
Both the BMW 335i M Sport Touring and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate are priced well north of $100,000 so don’t really compare.
