There are a few cars on the market today with surprising levels of luxury for the price. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class, BMW 3-Series and today’s example, the Volvo S60 all come to mind. It can be frustrating for carmakers to bring to market cars that are about the price of loaded mainstream models, yet continue to be dismissed as too expensive by buyers who opt for, say a loaded Accord, Camry or Maxima.
I spent a week with the Volvo S60 while attending 2012 Canadian Car of the Year TestFest in Niagara. It was all too short a time. The car was a delight to drive, with suspension and handling that was firm but not too firm, a luxurious but not gaudy interior and enough amenities to pamper.
It also had scoot, even with the T5’s five-cylinder, normally aspirated inline engine, which is rated for 250 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. Step up to the T6 AWD and the engine grows to a 3.0-litre, turbocharged V-6 at 300 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque.
The one point that will either be a positive or a negative depending on the buyer is that the S60 is a front-driver (or all-wheel drive with the T6). While the S60 handles very well, those looking for rear-drive will have to look elsewhere.
The Road Trip pick
While I’d never say no to more horsepower, I also don’t want to blow my affordable luxury angle, so I’m sticking with the T5, particularly since stepping up to the T6 buys you not a microsecond more of acceleration.
The T5 is a front-driver only, but take this Swedish car and put on some equally Scandinavian snow tires (Hakkepelittas come to mind), and it will take you almost all the way to all-wheel drive without the bigger engine and without the fuel economy penalty.
The S60 comes nicely equipped even at the Level I: Bluetooth, speed-sensitive power steering, SIRIUS radio system, touring chassis, power driver’s seat with memory, leather steering wheel and electronic climate control.
My choice is the S60 T5 A Level II. It starts about $1,650 more than the T5 A Level I, but here’s my reasoning: I was going to add heated seats ($1,200 on the Level I) anyway, but by stepping up to the Level II, I get the heated seats but also heated windshield-washer nozzles, keyless drive, rain-sensor wipers, headlamp washers and power passenger seat. Why wouldn’t you spend the extra $450?
There are two options I also checked off: HomeLink integrated garage door opener ($250) and rear park-assist camera ($600). I also opted for the $750 electric silver paint. Dark colours show every scratch, but the arctic white just wasn’t doing it for me. I stuck with the standard graphite T-Tec/Textile Tylosand interior. Lighter options, including a nice tan colour, are available, but I made the mistake of buying a tan interior once - never again. I also did not opt for leather.
I ended up with a nicely-equipped, luxury vehicle that stands out due to relatively low sales numbers. All for about $600 on a lease. A $10,000 trade-in knocks that down to less than $400.