Volvo S60 D5 (2010) CAR review

We're just back from driving the new Volvo S60 – we've now had a chance to drive the most popular diesels, the D3 and D5, as well as the range-topping T6 petrol.

It's an important car for Volvo, the new S60. Tired of being also-rans with the 850 and S60, the Swedes are now aiming for a much sportier marketplace. Nothing less than best in class handling, in fact. Read the caveats and you'll see that actually refers to front-wheel drive compact execs – so the S60 must beat the Audi A4 and Alfa 159. No great shakes.

A Volvo best in class to drive? Whatever next!

Yes, there's a more youthful vibe going on with the new 2010 Volvo S60. We lost count of the number of mentions of 'driving pleasure', 'dynamic' and 'sporty' – it was like being on a German car launch. For starters, the Steve Mattin exterior is marvellously eye-catching. It's wedgy, low slung, so much more interesting than a 3-series silhouette. The rear end is especially pretty, but those bug-eyed front headlamps and day-running LEDs will take some getting used to. Overall, though, the new S60 looks good in our test car's burnt copper paint. Slippery, too, with its aero-friendly 0.28 drag coefficient.

Inside the S60 is more evolutionary. In a good way. Volvo interiors are a lesson in classy understatement and the S60's is no different. The floating stack, uncluttered layouts, sensible ergonomics – this is a comfy, cool place to sit. Needless to say the chairs are quite supportive too and you'll be comfy after long stints at the wheel.

Step into the back seats and you'll pay for that swoopy back end. The doors are narrow and legroom is tighter than many rivals. Space for feet is seriously pinched, too, and the middle seat is near useless for adults. Volvo says it's bigger than the outgoing S60 launched in 2000 and it might be fine for kids, but don't buy an S60 for chauffeuring duties. That's what the bigger, airport-spec S80's for.

The killer question: how does the new 2010 S60 drive?

We've spent most time with the D3 and D5 diesels. Most buyers – in fact 86% of UK customers – will plump for a diesel S60 and you can see why.

The top-spec 203bhp 2.4 D5 hauls with sufficient gusto, all the while accompanied by that charismatic five-cylinder mooing thing. I like the oddball soundtrack, others may not. The D3 shares the same five-cylinder block as the D5 albeit with shorter stroke and bore for its 2.0-litre capacity; it is much more refined and quieter and performance is remarkably close to the bigger diesel's. The D3 is our pick of the range.

One glitch: the six-speed auto fitted to our D5 test car constantly hunts for gear and in hilly terrain I ended up manually shifting to prevent mid-corner hesitation (no paddles available, only a slow-reacting and counter-intuitive nudge of the stick: forwards for up, back for down). Not the best auto 'box, especially compared with the latest ZF auto you'll find in modern BMWs or Jaguars. The manual D3 uses a typically long-throw Volvo six-speed 'box that proved far more satisfying.

We drove the S60 D5 AWD model which boasted excellent traction, letting you apply full throttle even out of slippery T-junctions. UK-bound D5s will, however, come with front-wheel drive and judging by the nimbleness of the lighter FWD D3, that's a good thing. You'll save valuable kilos and for 360 days of the year you won't miss four driven wheels one jot.

A quick look at the spec sheet confirms that adding AWD to the D5 cripples the emissions; pick the manual D5 and you'll manage a respectable CO2 figure of 139g/km; add the auto transmission and you'll sink to 166g/km; add the auto-only AWD to the mix and you're in an entirely different ballpark of 179g/km. Mind you, if you're a company car driver and CO2's your thing, you should wait for 2011's DRIVe model with a 1.6 diesel and a lowly 114g/km of carbon.

The T6 we drove was entertainingly rapid, although you might not credit it with over 300bhp. It shares the peerless traction of the AWD set-up and is only available with the blunt auto box. Don't expect to see many on the road; it's more powerful than the outgoing R and you shouldn't expect a follow-up to Volvo's performance branded hotshot.

And the fun bit? Does the new S60 handle?

Ah yes. The S60 doesn't on first impressions move the dynamic goalposts as much as Volvo would have you believe. It's slightly sportier than before and it's more chuckable than a previous-shape S60, thanks to torque vectoring that sends power to the outside wheel in extremis with a tug of the inside wheels and torque sent outwards for a swivelling cornering effect. It's quick through the corners, but it won't entertain.

The 3-series and C-class can rest easy. The S60 simply doesn't have the agility or feedback of the best rear-drive cars. Where the best in class have chattering steering feedback to tell you what's what, the S60's helm is curiously inert most of the time. In many ways it belies its roots and feels like a smarter Ford Mondeo (the two share Ford's EU C/D architecture). To give Volvo their credit, the S60 is more fun than an Audi A4 – but I've always had a beef with the A4's oddly weighted steering.

No, what's impressed on CAR's first drive is, ironically enough, the new Volvo S60's comfort. The ride is cushty, even with the upgraded 18in wheels and 40-profile Continentals on our test car. Seems to me Volvo's swallowed the German line of sporty is best; what's wrong with a Lexus-alike priority on comfort?

Verdict

The S60 is one of the best resolved Volvos we've driven in ages. Quality is first rate, the design is head-swivellingly sharp and the cabin a cosseting, modern milieu. Safety is a given; the new Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake does exactly what it says, alerting you to cars or walkers about to stray into your path and stopping the car with maximum force if you fail to spot the hazard. Orwellian, but very effective most of the time (ours flashed warning lights and bongs when it picked up parked cars at the roadside).

Our one real beef is the way Volvo's marketing the car. Should a Volvo be overtly sporty, betraying years of heritage, when so many established competitors do dynamics so well? We'd argue not. Thankfully, the S60 isn't as sharp as Volvo thinks and – for once – this misdescription is a godsend. The new 2010 S60 is a very comfortable car, riding with real aplomb and we're relieved to leave behind the big-wheel thump patter that comes with so many executive cars nowadays.

Anyone wanting an alternative to the German establishment would be well advised to give the S60 a try.