This young doozy of a track packs 2.3 miles of intimidating surprises—including blind corners on hills, off-camber high-speed turns and even a half-pipe section that's landscaped like an Olympic snowboarding course. An intimidating track, but a good place to put the S60 through a bit of everything.
Pushed on the circuit, the same balance the S60 exploited on the road was apparent. No part of the car overwhelmed any other—the brakes, engine, handling and grip all felt appropriate, measured, and well-suited to one another. As such, the car proved entertaining and safe during exploration of its limits. As it was on the road, the S60 felt 'just right' with things sped up.
Extra points are awarded for the AWD system, which shuffles power around smoothly to add confidence to corner-exit situations.
No manual transmission??!
There are a few complaints, though.
It amounts to sport-sedan blasphemy, but there's no manual transmission available because Volvo says only 4 percent of shoppers would opt for one if it were. A similar percentage of S60 drivers will use the transmission's manual mode more than once—as it's slow to react, slow to shift, and hasn't been taught to throttle-blip.
And don't expect a manual and AWD S60, or a tweaked-up “R” variant, either.
Impressively executed
All-wheel drive stick-shift nuts may lean towards Subaru or BMW products on either side of the S60's price point, but to the majority of shoppers, this will prove an impressive machine that feels the way a luxury sport-sedan should: natural and confident, not nervous and overstimulated.
Pricing should prove similar. The 2011 S60 starts at $45,450, and units are arriving on dealer lots now.
Pushed on the circuit, the same balance the S60 exploited on the road was apparent. No part of the car overwhelmed any other—the brakes, engine, handling and grip all felt appropriate, measured, and well-suited to one another. As such, the car proved entertaining and safe during exploration of its limits. As it was on the road, the S60 felt 'just right' with things sped up.
Extra points are awarded for the AWD system, which shuffles power around smoothly to add confidence to corner-exit situations.
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| The 2011 S60 starts at $45,450, and units are arriving on dealer lots now. (Photo: Volvo) |
No manual transmission??!
There are a few complaints, though.
It amounts to sport-sedan blasphemy, but there's no manual transmission available because Volvo says only 4 percent of shoppers would opt for one if it were. A similar percentage of S60 drivers will use the transmission's manual mode more than once—as it's slow to react, slow to shift, and hasn't been taught to throttle-blip.
And don't expect a manual and AWD S60, or a tweaked-up “R” variant, either.
Impressively executed
All-wheel drive stick-shift nuts may lean towards Subaru or BMW products on either side of the S60's price point, but to the majority of shoppers, this will prove an impressive machine that feels the way a luxury sport-sedan should: natural and confident, not nervous and overstimulated.
Pricing should prove similar. The 2011 S60 starts at $45,450, and units are arriving on dealer lots now.
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