Long-Term Road Test
We always have logbooks in our long-term test vehicles to keep precise records of the gas and oil additions and maintenance and to record the comments and observations of the drivers and passengers. The logbook is a 100-page "reporter's notebook" that fits in most back pockets. Half of those 100 pages we reserve for the opinions -- praise, complaints, and assorted bleatings -- of some two dozen people who spend time in a vehicle over the course of our 40,000-mile tests, which can last a year or longer. Often times, 50 pages isn't enough space to record all the hollering, so we have to attach another notebook to accommodate the overflow. Once in a while, the opposite occurs -- the car inspires neither a lot of complaints nor a great deal of adulation. And this Volvo is a case in point, as our S60 collected just 18 pages of notes.
The shortage of commentary wasn't because we disliked this car, but rather that it didn't inspire in us the sporty enthusiasm that Volvo was hoping for. Volvo has long been associated with building practical, comfortable, often powerful, and above all safe cars, but not sporty ones. According to Volvo, the new S60 was to add excitement to the mix, competing more directly with the new crop of sports sedans from BMW, Audi, and Lexus. Since we are big fans of the sports-sedan genre, we were eager to give the S60 a go when Volvo offered one for an extended drive.
Volvo sent us its sportiest version of the S60, a T5 model, which came with a 247-hp, 2.3-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual transmission. Our Ash Gold Metallic T5 was also optioned to the gills with a navigation system ($2500), leather seats ($1300), a power sunroof ($1200), a Cold-Weather package ($450), a Touring package (including laminated side glass, air filtration, and memory mirrors for $550), the metallic paint ($400), and 17-inch alloy wheels ($500). All those options brought the price to $39,275.
Just 634 miles into our test, the T5 refused to start. But after we had it towed to the dealer -- you know what's coming, right? -- it started right up and ran just fine. No mechanical failure could be found. This turned out to be a one-time glitch.
The S60 quickly became popular as an interstate cruiser because of its comfortable ride, prodigious thrust, and long range between fill-ups. Patrick Bedard exclaimed, "Wow! 514 miles on a tank. I had topped it way up to start, but still . . ." Most staffers were also impressed with the S60's exterior styling, and although that may be debated, it is indeed a sexier-looking entry than the boxy S70 it replaced. Others demurred, saying it was no more exciting-looking than a scaled-down S80.
The interior styling with its "space ball" shifter -- it's a big ball-and-socket pivot with the gearshift lever sticking out of it -- and brushed metal accents got positive reviews. Opinions about the front seats were favorable as well; most found them comfortable, but some shorter drivers complained that the headrests made them sit in an uncomfortable hunched-forward position. Rear-seat passengers also complained about having to crane their necks sideways because the large front headrests blocked their view forward.
In its initial testing, the T5 hustled from 0 to 60 mph in a quick 6.5 seconds and covered the quarter-mile in 14.9 seconds at 99 mph. Some 40,000 miles later, it posted almost identical times and speeds, but good test numbers at the track and lots of horses under the hood didn't translate well into daily driving pleasure. Several staffers noted that the T5 usually felt flat-footed and slow in day-in and day-out traffic situations. Volvo doesn't sell many S60s in this country with manual gearboxes, and matters weren't helped by a balky shifter and sticky clutch.
With about 16,000 miles on the odo, photographer Aaron Kiley encountered some gremlins with the S60's alarm system and door locks while vacationing in Maine. "We got lots of doors mysteriously unlocked when we knew we had locked them. Also lots of alarms and sirens went off unprovoked." The problem seemed to be caused by a short in the key fob, so Kiley removed its battery. A new one was installed when he returned, and the problems went away.
