‘R’ gives Volvo’s S60R drivers an extra kick in the gas
The Volvo S60R remains as surprising for the 2006 model year as it was when it was first introduced two years ago. In fact, it has gained a bit by adding a dose of maturity to its wild youth.
When BMW jacks up performance and designates it as an “M†model, we aren’t surprised. When Mercedes does the same thing through its AMG corporate hot rod arm, it’s somewhat commonplace. Audi, too, has been bolstering the performance of its models and naming them S4 or S6 instead of A4 and A6.
But Volvo? The Swedish company that has been turning out cars aimed at safety and comfort – in that order – for decade after decade? For Volvo to have a hyped-up performance model still seems surprising, even though its S60 sedan, as well as the larger S80 and smaller S40, all have gotten sportier and better-performing in recent years.
The 2006 Volvo S60R I drove from Volvo’s regional test fleet has several features that are endearing to a performance-oriented driver, and dazzles the aesthetic side of your brain as well. It was a stunning blue color, called Sonic Blue Metallic, which penetrates the senses, if you’re a blue person, like I am. A mean-looking lower spoiler below the front bumper is a sculptured wing that narrows stylishly toward the middle of the front end. At the rear, a lower façade has an oval hole on the left side, just big enough for twin chrome exhaust tubes to stick through.
The blue is contrasted well by large, bright silver,18-inch Pegasus wheels with extremely low-profile, high-performance, Pirelli P-Zero tires, and the slots in the wheels show off the Brembo brake calipers that promise the car will stop as good as its appearance indicates it will go.
Inside, the blue theme continues with dark, blue-black seats. Volvo seats always have won my acclaim as the best and most comfortable in the industry, and the new ones are bolstered better and feel softer, if only because they are covered with incredibly soft leather. I was told cobalt blue is Volvo’s “corporate color,†which is why it accents the silver logo, and that’s why Volvo picked it for the S60R’s instruments, which are encircled by brushed silver, with silver notches for measurements, and are denoted by bold orange indicator pointers. One row of stitching of the same blue traces the seats, the shift knob, the console, the dashboard, and even the inside seam of the well-padded steering wheel.
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Under the hood, VolvoÂ’s 2.5-liter in-line 5-cylinder engine shows why the unusual design of a five can offer the efficiency and economy of a four without the inherent vibration, plus the potency of a six but with better fuel economy.
The S60RÂ’s 2.5 liters are zapped to maximum by a turbocharger, with dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, all tuned with variable valve timing, depending on the driverÂ’s demands. In this case, the demand is fulfilled by an output of 300 horsepower at 5,500 RPMs, and 295 foot-pounds of torque, which peaks at a mere 1,950 RPMs and holds strong all the way up to 5,250 RPMs. That means the low-end punch from all that torque doesnÂ’t just screech the tires and go away, flows freely from barely above idle all the way up to the power-band peak. All this is controlled by a Haldex electronic all-wheel-drive system that is as quick reacting to shift torque to the wheels with the most traction as any AWD unit you can find.
When the S60R was introduced, I had a chance to put it through its paces at Las Vegas race track, where we sped around part of the oval, then sprinted around the turns in the infield road course portion. The test cars at the scene were all red, and had only the slightest hint of raciness, from an unobtrusive chin spoiler up front, larger alloy wheels shod with low-profile tires, and that little “R†after the S60 on the rear trunklid.
The power from the first car is still there. I remember how startling it was to push the first S60R through its six-speed stick shift perform such high-powered and all-wheel-drive surges. I remember suggesting that, after all these years, who knew that there were some closet hot-rodders lurking inside those white smocks on the engineers in Gothenburg?
The new car shows off a little more, though tastefully, with a sportier and more contoured spoiler up front, plus the rear façade with twin pipes. The new car adds a six-speed automatic transmission, an accommodating unit that seems to offer the best of both worlds. It shifts with close-ratio precision, running up the gears with adequate punch, but with typical automatic ease when you’re locked in rush-hour gridlock. Move the shift lever over into the manual gate, and start in first gear, and the S60R personality changes. It revs swiftly and willingly to its 7,000 RPM red line, while a tap of your hand upshifts to the next gear.
At the same time, I noticed the EPA estimates say 25 miles per gallon is the car’s maximum on the highway, but I got 23.8 in combined city-highway driving, and 27.7 on a sustained, cruise-control freeway trip. That’s another nice feature of a high-powered car from a responsible company like Volvo.
You can check whether the speed limit is 30, 35, 40 or whatever, and get there directly, shall we say, leaving the traffic congestion behind in a sudden burst, without exceeding the speed limit. If your trip requires corners, the sharper the better, because you can push one of three switches on the dash and get comfort, sport or advanced settings for the suspension. Comfort is more compliant, but still good. Sporty is firmer and is my favorite for general driving. If you want to click advanced, youÂ’d best be on roadways as smooth as a racetrack, otherwise every irregularity and tar-strip separation can be felt abruptly in the steering wheel and through those great bucket seats.
The S60R looks so good, and is so much fun to drive, that you might forget that it remains true to Volvo heritage by still offering unexcelled safety. The roof is reinforced, as is the entire passenger compartment, with high-strength steel and the crumple-zone design pioneered by Volvo in the 1960s. The 300 horses are harnessed by the all-wheel drive system, and the S60R is assured of keeping you headed in the right direction by Dynamic Stability Traction Control. The carÂ’s structure and pre-tensing shoulder harnesses are complemented by airbags all around, including supplemental side-curtain airbags for added head and upper torso protection.
When you choose between a BMW 330 and an M3, or any class Mercedes that has an AMG alternative, or the Audi A4 or S4, you are talking about a considerable step up in initial investment. The Volvo S60 is not an inexpensive car, but the S60R is a high-performance bargain at $37,920, and even the test carÂ’s sticker of $44,335 isnÂ’t bad, considering the addition of optional climate package, adding heated front seats and rain-sensing wipers; premium package, that adds the power glass moonroof, and an audio upgrade to Dolby Prologic Surround Sound; the six-speed automatic; and the upscale bright silver wheels.
And, of course, that exterior blue color goes along so well with the instruments, the interior leather, and the stitching. It all adds up, as you sit there at a stoplight, deciding whether to roll away moderately, or switch over and launch in a blur. Yes, you can have your fun and be supremely safe at the same time.
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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