S60R has looks, performance and safety

By Gary & Genie Anderson, Special to the Town Crier

When Volvo was an independent automaker, it received many accolades for the safety of its automobiles.

At the same time, few reviewers ever had anything positive to say about the styling of its cars (”Looks like it was inspired by a refrigerator box,” said one.), or about their performance (”People who buy safety don’t care about performance,” said another.)

Having just driven the 2006 Volvo S60R sports sedan, we have to say that Volvo is now offering good looks and performance, but hasn’t compromised at all in the safety department.

It has taken a long time for Volvo to evolve from the world’s safest steel box on four wheels to the models now offered in its product line, and we can imagine a lot of concerned Swedish stylists trying to learn how to draw curving lines in the process.

At the same time, the concept of combining performance and safety has never been far from the minds of Swedish engineers; after all, their rally cars and drivers have been world-class since the sixties. It’s just that they were never sure that potential buyers who would consider a Swedish brand were from the same driving school as those who were lusting after a German sports sedan.

Whatever has happened since Volvo was taken over by Ford, whether it was the southern California sunshine experienced by those Swedish designers in their rotations through the Ford advanced styling studios, or the engineers continuing to confront the challenge of BMW’s best-selling 3-Series, the two Volvos we drove this month prove that the transition was successful.

Not that those Volvo designers and engineers ever were ready to copycat their colleagues at other car companies. As the best proof, the Volvo T5 engine in the S60R is out of a totally different mold. Instead of deciding between a four-cylinder or six-cylinder engine, Volvo instead opted for five cylinders. With the odd number of cylinders, the engine is much better balanced than a four-cylinder engine, but still has one less cylinder than the inline-six so it inherently offers both smoothness and good mileage.

Add a turbocharger and significant amounts of power can be produced - a whopping 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque in this sports sedan.

Similarly, while the styling is anything but boxy, the designers didn’t exactly throw away their straight edges, either. Instead, the S60R represents a nice blend of smooth curves in front, and clean feature lines in the rear. “Sort of like Lars in a cable-knit sweater,” as one reviewer termed the result.

The S60R is an exciting variant on their bread-and-butter S60 small four-door sedan. Volvo engineers are aiming it directly at the standards for handling and performance established by BMW’s 3-series. But this car is more than just a turbo-enhanced scooter with an aero kit, big exhaust and Brembo brakes.

Volvo has used the S60R as a test bed for an interesting new technology they call “Four C,” for “continuously controlled chassis concept.” By linking the sensors on the suspension, wheels, throttle, brakes and using the information to control shock settings, braking at each wheel, engine speed and front-to-rear distribution of power, and making these changes in milliseconds, the system is intended to produce the best combination of handling and driving comfort for any road condition or driving style.

That’s the theory. We tested it in practice on a Thursday morning, with a run from Scotts Valley on Highway 9 up to Skyline Drive and then down Page Mill Road and home. Mixed in with that route are all variations of uphill and downhill curves, smooth and rough road surfaces, decreasing radius corners, and almost anything else that any road is likely to throw at a driver. With nearly no traffic on the road, we were able to keep the Volvo at speed through the entire run, without flustering it even once, not even so much as a tire squeal. We think Volvo is justified in calling this the “most advanced active suspension system” on the market.

How does it compare in general with the benchmark BMW 3-Series? We’d certainly give the S60R serious consideration if we were in the market for a sports sedan.

As tested, our Volvo has a suggested retail price of $44,335, which includes a $2,400 premium package to get the moonroof and high-end audio system, plus $600 for the climate package (probably not necessary in California), $1,250 for the new six-speed electronically controlled auto/stick transmission (six-speed manual is standard), $995 for 18-inch high-style wheels and $475 for metallic paint.

That’s almost the same price as a similarly equipped BMW 330i which has 45 fewer horses under the hood. So for price to power, and for handling, Volvo actually has the edge.

Interior styling is quite comparable as well. The new Volvo’s seats are extremely comfortable, while offering the lateral support required by spirited driving. However, Volvo has three fewer inches of leg room in the rear, which is pretty much the difference between an adult and a child passenger. But the BMW has fewer cubic feet of space in the trunk. So which you’ll prefer depends on how often you haul passengers or luggage.

Our only complaints were that the turning radius is large, almost four feet more than the BMW, and that the aero kit under the front bumper is so low it was scraping against many driveway inclines.

But what if you’re not in the market for a quick little high-priced executive express? What if, instead, you need some practical cargo-handling room and flexibility, but you aren’t interested, in this day and age, in buying a gas-guzzler. And you still don’t want to feel as if you’ve sold out to dreary middle age, even if you’ve got family responsibilities.

Underneath the classy styling and satisfying performance of the S60R, you’ll benefit from Volvo’s stated objective of producing the safest car in the class, and a sports sedan that will go wheel to wheel with the best on the road.