2013 Volvo S60 T5 (GXAR)


Standard Features
2.5L 5-cyl. engine
6 Speed transmission
21/30 mpg
Regular unleaded
Eight-way power driver seat with memory functions and adjustable lumbar
Leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel
City Safe feature (see below)
8 speaker HD radio with bluetooth and aux.

Pros
Peppy turbocharged engine
Tomb like quiet at highway speeds
Handles like a sports sedan
Leather seats are very comfortable and supportive.
Quality materials

Cons
Small trunk (12 cubic foot)
Full size spare in small trunk
No touch screen and small size.
Lacking some features like backup camera



I have been wanting to drive one of the Volvo sedans for some time now, and I was not disappointed. The S60 handles like a sports sedan, especially with its peppy turbo five. 0-60 is about 6.5 seconds. Steering is light and very responsive.

The S60 is a midsize sedan, and is comparable to the BMW 3 series, and Mercedes C class. The MSRP is $31,900 and this particular one was equipped with the Premier package +$2,200 (Power glass moonroof; Leather seating surfaces; Keyless Drive with Personal Car Communicator (PCC); Power passenger seat; Auto-dimming rearview mirror), and the Climate package +$700 (Heated front seats; Heated windshield washer nozzles; Interior Air Quality System (IAQS) with active carbon filter)



The S60 comes with many of the standard features one has come to expect from Volvo, such as very comfortable seating, quiet interior, and quality materials. Volvo's safety features are legendary and the S60 has some unique ones. A standard feature is what Volvo calls City Safe feature. It is designed to avoid impacts in slower city traffic. It can sense a car or other object in front and if the driver is taking no action to avoid it, such as steering or braking, it will apply full braking at the last possible moment to avoid the collision. This is a handy feature in stop and go traffic. I was tempted to test the system, but did not want to have to explain to National why I crashed a $35,000 car into a brick wall .



For a midsize car, it was very roomy up front. I did try out the back seats, and I'm 5'8, and it was on the cozy side. I would not attempt to drive with 3 adults in the back for more then a few minutes. The front seats were extremely comfortable, and supportive. I drove 1 hour 40 minutes, was there for an hour, then returned home. My back felt great when we got back, and I was not feeling sore like I usually am. The leather wrapped steering wheel made my hands comfortable as well on a longer drive.

The steering wheel controls were pretty common sense. The one unique one was a scroll wheel by the volume controls, that would scroll through the radio stations. There was another scroll wheel on the turn signal indicator that scrolled between the vehicle information such as MPG, and other trip info.


One disappointing area was in the multimedia functions. There is no touchscreen and everything is buttons and knobs. The sound itself was exceptional, especially for a no name 8 speaker system. There is a five band equalizer. The music and vocals were clear. At louder volumes, the bass was powerful, but not distorted. The quality of the music made the hour and 40 minute drive more enjoyable.

Another unusual feature is a power rear headrest. The button for it is at the bottom left of the center console, below the AC button. It enables the driver the ability to fold down the rear headrests, to give a better view out the rear window, at the touch of the button. It is also useful for whacking the rear passengers in the head for whatever reason .



In conclusion, I loved driving this car. If I were in the market for a new car, this would be on my very short list for choices. It has the comfort and features of a Volvo, but handles like a sports car. I am looking forward to trying the other Volvo's in the fleet.