Why The Volvo S60 D5 Is The Most Surprising Car I've Fallen For

When it comes to choosing a mid-sized executive saloon, there are three very obvious options. There’s the Mercedes C-Class, the Audi A4, and the BMW 3-series. Each has a particular area in which it excels. The C-Class is all about luxury wafting with a touch of class, the Audi is stylish in an understated way (and superbly made), while the 3-series is the best driver’s car of the three. If none of these float your boat, there is a fourth, less Germanic option: the Volvo S60. It’s the same size as the other three, and comes with a similar premium price.

On first glance, the ‘Rebel Blue’ D5 R-Design version we had in recently looked like it wanted to be a rival to the dynamically adept 3-series, with its aggressive front bumper, twin-exit exhaust, rear diffuser and 18-inch alloy wheels; but when the roads get twisty, the Swede’s dynamics tell a different story. It’s a bit like when you’ve convinced a quiet and reserved friend to do a few shots. Oh sure, they’ll play along, but you can tell they aren’t enjoying themselves all that much.

The steering gives you a better idea of what the front tyres are doing compared with some other electric power setups, but it’s slow and not suited to a spirited back-lane drive. There’s quite a bit of body roll, too, and it doesn’t take much effort to induce understeer.

Under the blue hood sits a 2.4-litre five-pot turbo diesel engine, which usually produces 212bhp and 310lb ft of torque for a 0-62mph time of a respectable 7.5 seconds. With an ECU upgrade from Polestar, our S60 test car was blessed with a little extra poke, bringing the total to 227bhp.

Despite it being an oil-burner, though, it never has the sort of mid-range thrust you expect in a powerful and torquey diesel; the offbeat thrum of the five-cylinder engine sounds weirdly artificial once it’s passed through the S60’s many layers of sound proofing too. Oh, and the gear change on the six-speed manual ‘box feels horribly vague and floppy.

It doesn’t take long to realise that there isn’t much substance behind all the sporting pretence, but it’s important to understand that this is not what the car is truly about.

It’s once you forget about trying to judge this thing as a sporty saloon, that you realise where its strengths really lie. The seats, for instance, are fantastic and quite possibly the most supportive I’ve ever sat in. All the controls feel solid and the quality is astounding, particularly when it comes to the weirdly satisfying rotary switches on the centre console.

As you’d expect, the S60 D5 is crammed full of safety features. I thought all the various acronyms like DAC (Driver Alert Control), BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) and CTA (Cross Traffic Alert) and their associated bings and bongs would drive me nuts, but actually, I appreciated them; particularly the way the BLIS lets you know when a car is a approaching as you reverse out of a parking bay.

But can you really consider an S60 over one of the more obvious cars from the German big three? I’ll admit, this particular S60 represents all the choices you don’t want to make when speccing one up: the ropey manual is best substituted for an automatic (yes, I did just say that), and you’re better off getting the much newer and more efficient D4 engine than the D5. Do that, and you’ll have something that’s a viable left-field alternative to an A4, 3-series or C-Class. You’ll also save yourself a heap of money; our test car weighed in at £35,395 before options, and a substantial £42,260 after.

Bearing all this in mind, the S60 is a car that I actually found myself falling for. There was one moment which defined what’s so special about it, and that happened the day before the car went back to the manufacturer. While being lashed with razor sharp rain and blasted with icy gusts of wind, I opened the hefty driver’s door, sunk into the comfortable seat and closed the door. Silence. All that noise from the wind and rain had vanished. I was enveloped in my tonne and a half of Volvo, ready to get home safely. At that moment, I couldn’t think of anything else I’d rather have been driving.