Before test-driving the 2012 Volvo S60, I considered Volvos to be functional cars that included cutting-edge safety features. Put another way, I thought Volvos were dutifully practical family cars that weren't necessarily fun to drive.
Then I got behind the wheel of the 2012 Volvo S60. I found the acceleration to be so smooth and the handling to be so lovely on my test car that I double-checked the car's logo a few times to make sure this wasn't one of those sporty German cars in disguise.
With its 3.0-liter turbo engine that delivers 325 horsepower, the 2012 Volvo S60 T6 R-Design was a blast to drive, and it debunked my previous notions about Volvos being simply practical. The icing on the S60 T6 cake is since it's a Volvo it's still got the cutting-edge safety features that put any driver's mind at ease, especially a driver with small children like me.
The S60 was redesigned for 2011. For 2012, the luxury sedan is all about new trim levels. Previously offered in only the all-wheel-drive T6 trim, Volvo has added the T5 entry-level trim and the top-of-the-line T6 R-Design, leaving the original T6 as the middle child. The T5 trim has front-wheel drive with a 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine, and the upper-level T6 R-Design trim I tested has all-wheel drive and some extra ponies under the hood with a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine.
The 2012 Volvo S60 has a starting MSRP of $31,300, and the T6 R-Design trim starts at $42,950. My test car had a price tag of $46,875.
EXTERIOR
Thanks to its redesign, the S60 is not the boxy Volvo from days of old. Sure, it's a midsize sedan produced by the brand that built its name on safety, but the S60's exterior looks verge on sexy. It has a low roofline, curves in the front and rear, and a compact body. Of course, my test car's Passion Red paint color only added to the S60's sex appeal.
The doors were heavy, but my older children managed to open them independently and were easily able to climb in and out of the S60. Given the car's low lines, the trunk also sits low, which made loading things in and out particularly easy.
For someone used to a minivan's minimum cargo volume of almost 40 cubic feet, the prospect of the S60's diminished 12-cubic-foot trunk was daunting. The front passenger seat tries to make amends for the meager trunk space as it folds flat to allow for more interior hauling space. Truthfully, the 12 cubic feet weren't horribly paltry. I did fit enough groceries in the trunk to feed and refresh my whole neighborhood as I was in charge of a neighborhood party.
The upper-level S60 T6 R-Design that I tested comes with a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine that delivers 325 hp. Moving down the trim level ladder from there, the original T6 — now the midlevel trim — has the same engine but delivers 300 hp and the new entry-level T5 has a 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine that produces 250 hp.
The S60 with the 3.0-liter engine gets an EPA-estimated 18/26 mpg city/highway, and the smaller engine gets 20/30 mpg. Both engines use premium gas.
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