C O V E R     S T O R Y

Volvo has built its reputation on producing safe, sensible cars.  Its cars ended up on top of lists such as “the car you’d buy for your wife.”  Yourself?  Probably lusting after a Porsche.  This left Volvo with an interesting problem.  Safety and sanity may clinch the deal but it’s the sex (in the cars’ styling, we mean) that actually lures the buyers into the showroom and onto the driver’s seat. 

They shouldn’t have a problem with the S60, then.  This car doesn't just break out of the Volvo box; it smashes it to pieces. The trend towards curves started with elder sister S80. The S60 looks even slimmer and better proportioned than its larger sibling. Volvo’s designers seemed to have achieved what most sedan styling aspires to these days—smartly integrating four doors with a sweeping profile. 

The eggcrate grille is thrust prominently forward, with the V-shaped hood folds and front fenders flowing smoothly rearward with no right angles anywhere in sight.  The S60's rear, where so many sedans blink and fail miserably, is particularly enticing, positively inviting one to run one's hand over its curves.  The trunk lid pivots on its complex hinges and gas struts to reveal a cavernous, unobstructed trunk space.   

The feeling of solid construction continues with the simple act of pulling on the door handle.  Swing up the thick plastic handle and you’ll feel a smooth, weighty motion that ends with a solid click.   Pull open the heavy door and you'll see that the interior is generously proportioned, with comfortable seating for five passengers.  Both the driver's chair and the navigator's—er, front passenger's—are equipped with motors for reach, rake and height.  The driver's seat has a three-setting memory function but it doesn’t include the side mirror settings.   

We think we actually be forgiven for thinking "navigator" as the dashboard looks almost aeronautical, what with its multitude of buttons.  It may look confusing at first, but the controls are grouped logically.  This approach of having all the buttons exposed is actually the opposite of rival manufacturers' approach of integrating multiple functions into a single control, and in this case, the simplest solution works quite well.  Some of the principal controls, like radio volume and aircon fan speed, have a large, protruding knob for easier use. To boost the accessibility further, the center panel housing all the controls is distinctively slanted towards the driver. 

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