Ikea's tagline, as far as I can remember, is something like, "Ikea: Swedish for common sense."
I'd humbly suggest that it might more accurately be: "Ikea: $0.99 hotdogs and $15.99 bookcases, both self assembly, both compressed particle board."
No, it's Volvo that's really the company that's Swedish for common sense. For years, they've been building very safe, very comfortable cars that are good in the snow and about as durable as a lump of granite.
However, some time ago, Volvo decided it wanted to be a luxury brand, and therein followed much design studio frippery and many advertisements featuring people with blond hair and black turtlenecks. The brand shifted upmarket, leaving behind the boxy image and attempting to embrace a new, more stylish future.
Mostly, this ploy didn't really work, but at least the company did better under the Ford umbrella than Jaguar did. As the rumour goes, for every dollar that Volvo brought in, Jaguar lost two.
But I digress. These days, Volvo has a full two decades of luxury aspirations under its belt and has just refreshed their mid-size sport sedan. It also says here on the specs that this particular example has 325 horsepower - good grief! That doesn't sound very Volvo-ish, nor does this car look very Volvo-ish. Just what are the Swedes up to this time?
Design
The more one looks at the Volvo S60, the nicer it seems. It's approachable, and friendly faced. No need for any of your blitzkrieg Teutonic aggression here, the S60 is a welcoming shape anchored by that signature diagonally slashed grille.
Yes, the box is long gone, but this car's new duds have a little of that same Scandinavian charm. The press release says that the new hood, front fascia and fenders are more muscular, but that's not really what's on display here. While the mostly Germanic competition postures and scowls, Volvo's offering tries to look angular and pretty, rather than simply angry.
Having said that, it is just a tad anonymous. Say what you'd like about the old Volvo bricks of the past, but at least you could tell they were Swedish from half a mile away. The V60 shares its front-wheeldrive architecture with the European-spec Ford Mondeo, and it shows.
Particularly in a neutral colour, like silver or white, the S60 blends into the background a little. My tester looked a little more forward thrusting thanks to an optional set of 18-inch alloy wheels, but even the most snarly R-design editions are reserved.
Well, good. No Volvo should be the equivalent of the foam-jawed pitbull, snarling and lunging with a giant chrome grille and improbable sideskirts. This is a good looking car, not an attack dog on low profile tires.
Environment
Inside, the S60's cabin continues the theme of reserved-rather-than-raving with a simple layout that's ergonomically sound, and maybe just a little bit dated. The "floating" dash that once seemed so forward thinking is now old hat compared to the cockpitstyle layouts of modern mid-sized luxury.
However, the seats - a sport option, in this case - are really comfortable, and have surprisingly good bolstering. There's not as much space out back as could be wished for, particularly for adults, but up-front passengers have a nice throne-room in which to tick off the miles.
The S60's centre stack has actual buttons and knobs on it, and functions in a way that might remind you of a time when phones were meant to be phones rather than portable entertainment devices. Everything works in the way you'd expect - it's as if the car was designed to be a car first, and a mobile distraction device not-at-all.
So, no touchscreen inputs, no haptic feedback nonsense, no sliding multitouch inputs. Frankly, it's the better for it, and while you won't wow passengers with a high-tech floorshow, the S60's intuitive layout is something of a relief.
And speaking of wowing passengers....
Performance
On the trunk of this tester is a tiny blue square, denoting that the car has been reflashed with Volvo's Polestar performance software. I know what you're thinking: "performance software? Isn't Volvo more about the advanced airbags and collision avoidance side of things?" They are, and you can load up the S60 with any number of clever crash reduction technologies. However, whoever had spec'd out my modestly equipped test vehicle had chosen to spend their money on Swedish speed instead.
Polestar is the tuner company that knows just how to squeeze more turbocharged power out of Volvos, and has been doing so for years. While their covered-under-warranty upgrade doesn't have the insane power levels of some of the concepts that Polestar has built, it does mildly bump the power of the S60's turbocharged straight-six to 325 h.p. and 355 foot-pounds of torque.
Thrust is managed by a six-speed automatic transmission with available paddle shifters, and gets to the ground via a Haldex all-wheel-drive system. The latter has the ability to shunt power to an outside wheel while cornering.
The result is some seriously unexpected Swedish speed metal. Sucked in by the Volvo's unassuming demeanour, a foolhardy poke on the pedal suddenly unleashes Ragnarok - with big torque, minimal lag and sticky all-wheel drive, the V60 has a holeshot that'd leave a rear-drive M3 momentarily scratching its head.
That straight-six, by the way, was co-developed with Porsche, and has excellent power characteristics. If there's a complaint to be made, it's that it's almost too twitchy, and that your average Volvo buyer would be far happier with the more sedate T5.
Then, when it comes to cornering, the frontdrive bias of the S60 battles a certain amount of nose heaviness - it's really quick, and there's plenty of grip through the corners, but it's not quite a backroad corner carver. Blame the standard nonsport suspension perhaps. Even so, that compliant suspension gives a smoother ride than some other contemporaries, and the car is extremely planted with the all-wheel drive. It's a luxury sports sedan, not an autocrosser, but the surprising reserve of turbocharged power can't help but put a grin on your face.
Features
In a market where it's entirely possible to spend upwards of $70,000 on a BMW 335i with all-wheel drive, the S60 is something of a bargain. Keep the options light, and standard features include the usual luxury amenities and unexpected ones like sport seats and paddle shifter for the T6.
As you'd expect, the S60 is an absolute tank in terms of safety ratings, beating the IIHS scores of everything from BMW to Audi. If that's not enough, you can add an optional pedestrian and cyclist detection system that will warn of impending collisions, and even automatically brake to avoid them.
The S60 also gets the full suite of traction control and dynamic stability aids, and visibility enhancing features like blind spot monitoring and a rearview camera are on offer. The entry level Premier Plus package found on my tester included keyless go, leather seating, and a power moonroof, but also integrated a fenderbender-eliminating system called City Safety that automatically brakes to avoid a collision below 31 kilometres per hour.
When it comes to fuel economy, that big turbocharged straight-six is no lightweight. Official figures are set at 11.7 litres/100 kilometres city and 8.0 l/100 km highway. While a standard T6 will run on regular fuel, the Polestar version should really see premium, and mixed-mileage driving netted a real world figure close to the in-city mileage.
Green light
Handsome looks; smooth ride; responsive turbocharged engine; excellent poor-weather performance.
Stop sign
Huge turning circle; front-wheel-drive layout; thirsty engine; small cabin and trunk.
The checkered flag
Not just an alternative sports sedan, a unique driving machine that's a bit of a Swedish meatball at heart.
Competitor
BMW 3-Series ($53,800) Equipped with a turbocharged straight-six and surefooted all-wheel drive, the BMW 3-Series shows why it's always the one to beat in this segment. If you find that configuration a bit pricey, then there's always a willing four-cylinder turbo to choose from, and you can go with rear-drive instead for less practicality and more fun.
In fact, there are almost a dozen ways to spec your 3, and only the top trim levels have some of that quintessential BMW driving pleasure. Bimmer has done a lot of work to make their car more comfortable, and as a result, it's a more digital experience than you'd expect, especially as regards the steering.
Even so, this is the mainstay of the mid-size luxury market, and the Volvo is very much an alternative to it. While the Swedish option will never be the volume seller, perhaps its quirkiness is reason enough to look at something other than the Bavarian benchmark.
