2015 Volvo V60 T5 Drive-E Review

Las Vegas, Nevada - It's like coming home. When you walk up to the
[1]2015 Volvo V60 Sportswagon, the trusty, unbreakable Volvo station
wagons of the past come to mind. Those cars were unpretentious,
elegantly practical, and utterly dependable, just like the Swedes
themselves.

Now the Volvo wagon is back on the American market after a short
interval during which only the all-wheel-drive Volvo XC70 represented
the beloved box of the brand from Gothenburg, Sweden. We're happy it's
back, since wagons are cool again and the combination of cargo
capacity, good fuel economy, and carlike handling makes the wagon seem
ever more appealing than a sport-utility vehicle. And it's not alone,
witness the reappearance in the U.S. of the Audi Allroad and the BMW 3
Series wagon.

Best of all, the 2015 Volvo V60 T5 Drive-E is better than any Volvo
wagon you remember thanks to a livelier, premium-quality personality
and a new Drive-E powertrain that squeezes out more mpg from its
engine without squeezing out the fun in the process.

So sleek, so stylish, and so un-Swedish

The Volvo V60 wagon doesn't look much like the beloved box of the
past. Based on the platform of the Volvo S60 sedan, it measures 182.5
inches in overall length, 73.4 inches wide, and 58.4 inches high, and
it rides on a wheelbase of 109.3 inches. Actually, the 2015 V60
doesn't even look that much like the Volvo S60 sedan you probably
remember, since the 2014 S60 received a very useful styling makeover.
The superfluous chrome and black-out trim has been stripped away, the
hood has been reshaped, and the revised grille and headlights help the
car look more resolutely Volvo.

Once you're in the cabin, the V60 makes you even more aware of Volvo's
new way of doing business. The architecture is the same, notably the
elegant waterfall-style center console that looks like a piece of
high-style Swedish furniture when it carries a wood finish, yet the
selection of materials and the mix of colors send a new message of
premium luxury that seems altogether adventurous for Volvo.

This new, livelier presentation is especially apparent in the models
with sport trim, as the bolstered seats, multimode TFT instrument
display (Eco, Elegance, and Sport), and leather-wrapped steering wheel
put the BMW 3 Series wagon to shame. The new Sensus Connect system of
electronic connectivity is very cool and incorporates some neat
applications, but the software behind the touchscreen interface is
clumsy and difficult to sort out. Volvo hasn't lost its way, though,
because practicality is still the message, thanks to 33.5 inches of
rear-seat legroom, a 40/20/40-split folding rear seat, and 43.8 cubic
feet of cargo capacity.

Practical powertrain in a Swedish-style way

Volvo is in the midst of an $11 billion program to prepare itself for
the future, and the first evidence is the company's new Drive-E
powertrain, which is available in the 2015 Volvo V60, 2015 Volvo S60,
and 2015 Volvo XC60. Volvo engineers have taken their transverse
inline-5/inline-6 engine package (first designed for Volvo by Porsche
long ago and then subsequently reengineered by Volvo) and made
something entirely new.

This is the eminently Swedish way, and indeed Jan-Erik Larsson, head
of the engineering program for the Drive-E engine, made the program's
proposal to the Volvo board of directors on July 25, the day known as
Jakob's Day in Sweden. This also happens to be the day when the very
first Volvo car - the Volvo OV 4 - was completed in 1926,
immortalizing the car within the company as "Jakob." (And also the day
that Larsson's grandfather, who designed the car's engine and founded
Volvo AB, helped roll out Jakob from the workshops.)

The new modular engine begins with a transverse, 2.0-liter inline-4
version of the former Volvo engines, now configured for application as
either a direct-injection gasoline engine or a common-rail diesel.
When the gasoline engine carries a turbocharger to enhance high-rpm
power, it makes 240 hp at 5600 rpm and 258 lb-ft of torque from 1500
to 4800 rpm. When the engine carries both the turbo and a belt-driven
Roots-type supercharger to boost low-rpm power, it is rated at 302 hp
and 295 lb-ft of torque.

There's far more to the engine than its power rating, as it
incorporates lightweight all-aluminum casting, a forged-steel
crankshaft, a low-friction valvetrain, and continuously variable valve
timing on both the intake and exhaust side. Moreover, the powertrain
incorporates automatic stop/start and brake regeneration. Finally, the
eight-speed Aisin-Warner automatic transmission has a coasting
function. The bottom line is an improvement in fuel economy of between
13 to 26 percent for the various configurations. The 2015 Volvo V60 T5
Drive-E has an EPA rating of 25/37/29 mpg (city/highway/combined).

The only downside to the new modular engine is its physical dimension,
as it can fit only the front-wheel-drive examples of the V60 wagon and
S60 sedan. All-wheel-drive versions of these cars will continue to be
available with the 250-hp, turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-5 or the
325-hp, turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6, both of which have a
six-speed automatic transmission.

Funny, it doesn't drive like a Volvo

We spent our time with the Volvo V60 cruising around Las Vegas, which
seems like a very un-Swedish thing to do. The red rocks of the desert
landscape fascinated the Swedes, and they were equally enthralled by
the wacky architecture of the casino resorts along Las Vegas
Boulevard. Sadly, this is not a place to drive fast, especially when a
European driver attending an event staged here by another car company
arouses the local law enforcement with a 140-mph exhibition of speed.

So, despite our best intentions, we were driving the 3527-pound Volvo
wagon at resolutely safe and sane speeds through the Valley of Fire
and around Lake Mead. Even so, the quiet cabin and calm, resilient
ride on the optional 19-inch tires quickly got our attention. Volvo
might not be owned by Ford any longer, but some of its recent efforts
have still gone down the road like mushy, old-school Fords. However,
with the revision to the S60 platform in 2014 has come meticulous
attention to acoustics in the cabin and a thoroughly re-engineered
suspension with different bushings and monotube, high-pressure gas
dampers in the rear.

As a result, the Volvo V60 in Dynamic chassis trim drives more like a
BMW than a Ford, but without that brittle, high-frequency stutter than
so many sport-calibrated BMW suspension setups have. This car is
vastly more comfortable than you'd expect, even as it delivers good
grip at high speeds and also offers a standard torque-vectoring
function in the front differential to mitigate understeer. Even the
electric-assist steering has the same feel we've experienced in the
BMW M235i - resolutely numb, to be sure, yet with a sure sense of
on-center stability, so you always feel like the car knows where it's
going.

Welcome back, Volvo guys

When you ask the Volvo people about the recent lapse in the U.S.
availability of a plain, carlike wagon to complement the on-going
availability of the Volvo XC70, they just shake their heads in
embarrassment. Nevertheless, they quickly recover and point out that
Volvo's primary markets are the United States, China, and Sweden.
Although U.S. sales declined 10 percent to 61,233 vehicles last year
(a long way from the 100,000 yearly sales more than a decade ago),
Volvo still sold 427,840 vehicles worldwide in 2013, not an
insignificant amount.

As Geely, the Chinese car company that now owns Volvo, sees the future
for the Swedish company, it must move out of near-luxury limbo and
compete directly with Audi and BMW. It will do this by remaining
uniquely Swedish. As Volvo chief designer Thomas Ingenlath says,
"Outdoor activities are an important part of the Swedish lifestyle. We
will continue to refine Volvo's strong connection to these activities
with more emphasis on modernity. It's about making functionality an
emotional experience. Just like an expensive goose down jacket, our
cars will have a true feeling of sophistication with an underlying
strength and capability."

At a starting price of $36,225 (including $925 destination), the 2015
Volvo V60 T5 Drive-E is knocking right on the door of the BMW 3 Series
wagon, and just like the BMW, the Volvo's price quickly escalates as
you select options that are luxurious, sporty, or cleverly functional
in that wagon-y way that Volvo has. (Check out the Volvo V60's
microsite for a useful reintroduction to the wagon mind-set,
[2]www.thewagonisback.com.) Ordinarily we'd be a little more skeptical
about the 2015 Volvo V60's chances to succeed, but every time we see
one of those trusty, unbreakable Volvo wagons of the past cruising
along the street, we can't help but believe it's possible.

2015 Volvo V60 T5 Drive-E

On sale: Now Base price: $36,225 Engine: 2.0L turbocharged I-4, 240
hp, 258 lb-ft EPA fuel economy: 25/37/29 mpg (city/highway/combined)
Drive: Front-wheel Curb weight: 3527 lb [3]

30 Jan, 2014
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Source: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1401-2015-volvo-v60-review/
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