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There are just a couple of bits in the interior that seem to suffer from cost-consciousness, and unfortunately, they are parts that you see and touch often. One is the door pull, and the other the aft part of the automatic shift lever. Both are capped with a hard, shiny plastic that seems out of sync with the rest of the plush interior appointments. Another minor gripe is that the headrests can’t be adjusted, but then they are already optimized to protect the occupants from whiplash injuries. This being a Volvo, the protection continues all around the cabin, with dual airbags and an inflatable side curtain along the top of the side windows that will help protect the occupants’ heads if the car goes through a severe side impact. A meaty door-slam completes the feeling of being in a secure cabin. A sporty sedan isn’t just about feeling secure, though; it’s about feeling confident while hitting the open road. Crank the engine to life and very little sound filters into the cabin. In fact, the 2.0-liter 20-valve turbo engine has just two volume levels: low and off. At idle and part throttle, it's all but inaudible. It sings its warbling 5-cylinder song only when the tach spins above 4500 rpm. Pity, as the turbocharged whine doesn’t sound out of place in a sporty sedan. Tip the throttle and response from the engine is initially muted, but that’s mainly due to the pedal’s long travel. The engine has plenty of torque to dish out if you’re willing to push a little further. There’s 180 bhp at 5300 rpm and a stout 240 Nm from as low as 2200 rpm. Press hard and that’s enough to leave most traffic far behind at a stop light. If you go easy on the gas, the 5-speed automatic gearbox shifts at 1800-2000 rpm for optimum fuel economy. We achieved 8.28 km/liter in mixed city and highway driving, despite our heavy-footed ways. This turbo is light-pressure only, so don’t expect a sudden surge of acceleration anywhere in the rev range. Thankfully there’s also negligible lag; response is immediate and linear. The turbo also helps to ensure that the engine stays on the boil even on the twisty roads of Tagaytay City, 1200 meters above sea level. For those who desire a little more power under the pedal (and who doesn’t), there’s a 250 bhp/330 Nm T5 model, and perhaps as early as next year, the S60R will arrive with an even 300 bhp/400 Nm on tap. There’s no tiptronic-type override for the automatic, but thankfully the gearbox is smart enough to decipher when you need it to downshift or hold a gear for better acceleration. You can pull the lever backward to lock in a lower gear, but the shifts then turn a bit harsh. The car stays in sporting character when you turn the steering wheel. Steering effort is pleasantly weighted, and on-center responsiveness is quick. There’s not much in the way of road feel, and there’s a tug of torque steer when performing sideways, deep-throttle launches. Otherwise, you'd be hard pressed to tell which pair of wheels the engine is connected to. There’s moderate understeer when negotiating tight turns, but the sedan’s Michelin Pilots (215/55 ZR 16 93W) felt firmly planted on sweeping curves. The cornering stance is quite flat, too. |
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