Her + His Car Reviews
2015 Volvo V60 T6 R-Design
There are always two sides to everything, right? Well, the truth is there are many more than that!
To keep our car reviews innovative and well-rounded, we are providing you with not just one, but two points of view on the same exact vehicle –
Her and His perspectives.
Her: Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate, women-drivers.com
His: Don Hammonds, Writer, AutomobileJournal.com
| HER | HIS |
|---|---|
| Price | |
| $49,275 | $45,225 base price, as tested, $49,275 |
| Performance | |
| Volvo is Back. Never did it go away it has just been quieted by all the noise in the marketplace. But with newer models like the V60 T6 and its 325 horsepower 3.0 Liter Twin Scroll Turbo, its bringing up its own noise, so to speak. This car is delicious to drive. Its an absolute pleasure to steer, maneuver, and power such a brilliant machine. The handling is precision-like and the acceleration and braking both are responsive and dynamic. Weighing in over 4,000 pounds, the V60 T6 has responsive All Wheel Drive for all seasons. |
Our tester was the rare and ultra fast, limited production V60 T6 R Design-lovingly massaged by Polestar, Volvo's Swedish racing arm. There was no mistaking that our tester meant business, with its creaming red paint, its large high performance special tires and killer aluminum wheels-along with its rich, throaty dual exhaust pipes. The engine? A 325 3.0 liter twin Scroll six cylinder powerplant, backed by a six speed Geartronic automatic transmission. Fast as the dickens! Hit that accelerator pedal and hold on! It's a pretty breathtaking experience. The turbo functions smoothly and immediately, and there will be no concerns about "lag" or anything else. Brakes are superb, and even though this is a pretty heavy vehicle, it feels light and eager on its feet. |
| Fuel Economy | |
| 19 city and 29 highway miles per gallon averaging an overall of 22 mpg. We'd love to see Volvo improve their gas efficiency, but the weight of the car certainly drains that number. | 19/28, 22 miles per gallon overall. |
| The Car | |
| In the "half year upgrade" of this most excellent car, that drives a cost-value unlike most cars in its segment, is the infotainment system. Now with features found on the XC90, including 3G connectivity. Also added its glorious power lumbar system. We drove 600 miles round trip in this and the back - lower and upper - did not have any un-ease. The car itself screams luxury from the dreamy and ultra adjustable seats, to heated exterior mirrors, keyless entry, moonroof, Heated Front and Rear Seats, 19" wheels. |
Guess who's got the sexiest wagon on the market these days? Volvo. Yes, Volvo. Maker of those sturdy square chariots of the upper class. They've long since gone sexy on us, but now they've outdone themselves with the way cool, all-new V60. Actually, we did better than that. Probably the only thing negative we can say is that the rear cargo space, at 43.8 cubic feet with the back seat down, is somewhat less than you will find on competitors. But we think that those who buy this car will be more than happy to exchange that for all the sexiness, relatively high gas mileage and other perks of driving this lovely wagon. |
| Safety | |
| Volvo has been synonymous with Safety for over 30 years worldwide. Added to this model include Blind Spot Information System, Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Change Merge Aid, and Park Assist. Unibody High Strength Steel Cage, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, and more. | It was Volvo which invented a system that stops the car flat if a collision is imminent. Called the City safety system, if you somehow forget to apply the brakes to avoid hitting whatever is in front of you, the car will do it, if you are going slower than 31 miles per hour. There is also the BLIS system which provides a rear cross traffic alert and the parking sensors located in the front and rear of the car. Other safety equipment: Unibody High Strength Steel Safety 7 cage and a whole host of airbags. |
| Technology | |
| Much of the technology has been discussed and for a clear line of demarcation, see Don's or His Technology for the full run down. The one feature we want to highlight is Volvo on Call. While this video is a few years old, it provides the value of Volvo On Call for your and your family. | All V60s come nicely equipped of course. Standard equipment on the V60 includes 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, LED running lights, automatic wipers, heated mirrors, a sunroof, front and rear fog lights, cruise control, dual-zone automatic climate control, "T-Tec fabric upholstery, a leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, eight-way power front seats with driver memory functions and manual lumbar adjustment, 40/20/40-split rear seats with power-folding head restraints, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity and an eight-speaker audio system with a CD player, satellite and HD radios, an auxiliary audio jack and a USB/iPod interface. For the T5 E-Drive and T5 AWD, the Premier package adds roof rails, keyless ignition and entry, leather upholstery, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and customizable digital gauges. The Premier Plus adds power-folding mirrors, a rearview camera, a fold-flat front passenger seat and a pop-up cargo area organizer. The Platinum package further adds auto-dimming outside mirrors, interior accent lighting, a navigation system and a 12-speaker surround-sound audio system. If you are lucky enough to get the T6 AWD R-Design version, you'll receive the features that come with Premier Plus equipment and on top of all of that, you will get a sport-tuned suspension, Volvo's most powerful engine, appearance upgrades and adaptive xenon headlights. The Platinum trim level is also available here. The Volvo V60 T6 AWD R-Design starts at $45,225. |
| Aesthetics & Styling | |
| The superior styling is at its finest with the V6. Elegant. Smart. Dashing; and it definitely does not have another "me too" look about it. The design language and simplicity of it inside and out is truly an effort and work of beauty. Volvo makes others aspire. Families do not have to pay 55, 60 and 70 thousand dollars to have it all. This is where Volvo excels at their craft and formula. Simply, our favorite. Another way that Volvo takes on the "traditional status quo" is that they are reducing their marketing and advertising spend. So, rather than being the top of mind brand during every NFL game or the commercial you see during the 2016 Olympics or the FIFA World Cup '16, they are reallocating their money to be put into their customer's experience. REALLY. Effective in 2017, Volvo will introduce a technician to each Volvo buyer. This technician will then be on call 7 days a week through the customer's ownership of the vehicle. They are putting into place tremendous training and developing of their sales and service people to be able to accommodate this company objective. Wow! Another reason we love the brand. |
You pick the adjectives. Suave. Expensive looking. Tailored. Classic yet altogether contemporary with a trademark, yet aggressively designed front end. And around back, taillight styling that looks as though it should be in museum of contemporary art. And the interior? The buttery soft leather seats are among the best in the industry, and perfect for long distance driving. And we only wish that other manufacturers would realize, as Volvo does, that the worth of the car is not determined by the number of bewildering buttons on board. The dash in the Volvo is the essence of simplicity. The number of buttons are kept to a minimum, and gauges are quite simple and unadorned. The long familiar human profile figure for using the climate control system and directing hot and cold air couldn't be simpler. You just touch the part of the simulated body profile to direct air or heat the exact way that you wish. |
| Warranty | |
| 48 months/50,000 miles limited warranty. | 48 months/50,000 limited warranty. |
