Volvo may be Swedish, but it’s showing a British stiff upper lip these days. Despite another losing sales year in 2008 and likelihood of being sold by current owner Ford, the automaker is pressing on with its next scheduled new product, a smaller and much curvier S60 sedan. Expected to reach U.S. showrooms as a 2011 entry, the redesigned S60 will replace today’s nominal midsize model as well as the compact S40 sedan. This is an aging but still very attractive entry-luxury sedan that hews to the Volvo tradition of safe and sane sedan design. The driving experience can be a bit bland but the S60 still provides value for people looking for a low key semi-luxury car with proven Scandanavian cachet.
This is the first Volvo to have dimensions placing it head to head with German premium makers. Previous Volvos were half a class between the Germans: The old S60 was smaller than the 5 Series BMW of its day but bigger than a 3 Series. The new one will tackle the 3 Series and Audi A4 head on. “if we were a market leader, we could do cars outside the established size classes, but at our size we can’t,” our source said. This applies to pricing, engine for engine, and equipment in addition to size.
2011 Volvo S60
