Volvo S60R - Hit or Miss?

Re: Volvo S60R - Hit or Miss? ([email protected])


never driven a PT, but i wouldn't be surprised i have an easier time parking pick-up trucks than i do my girl's s60.

Re: Volvo S60R - Hit or Miss? (GTiTOM)


o0o0o ok i did not think so but was not sure.

Re: Volvo S60R - Hit or Miss? (GruvenVR6)

Unlike the people who have responded here, I own a V70R.
Likes:
--Seats (best seats ever, anywhere, anytime)
--Power is impressive, turbo hooliganism
-- Hauling capacity
-- Q-ship
-- looks
-- stereo system is fantastic
-- blue chrono dials
-- comfortable
-- ability to modify suspension settings
-- AWD for winter fun
-- loaded with all the luxury trimmings
-- definitely feels, looks and smells like a Swedish car
-- safety ratings are great
-- car feels like a brick, substantial, doors are pleasingly chunky
-- nice 6-speed manual shifter
Dislikes:
-- too big and heavy for real fun in the twisties
-- steering lacks feel, overboosted
-- turning radius wider than many full size SUV's, makes for difficult parking in most urban parking lots and garages
-- suspension feels wrong (jiggly damping picks up every bump in the road but floaty suspension in "comfort" mode, search swedespeed for "sidehop" or "sidestep" problem)
-- common problem is a retaining bracket under the exhaust hangs low and can get bent upwards on a speedbump, forcing the exhaust into the driveshaft. = expen$ive repair.
-- bi-xenon headlights are embarrassingly bad especially on high beam, worse than many halogens
-- torque listing of 295 lb-ft at 1950 rpm is optimistic; full engine torque doesn't feel like it cuts in until 2500 and up; Haldex AWD plus turbo magnifies turbo lag as the AWD system causes it to bog a little bit.
The V70R is a great "total package" -- speed, hauling, comfort, luxury, looks. There are few if any real competitors to the V70R at its price point (S4 Avant is smaller and much pricier; Dodge Magnum SRT-8 is interesting but lacks the hauling capacity; Legacy GT wagon is a cheaper alternative but nowadays you can't get it in a stick; SUV's might factor into it but if you don't like SUV's, then there's not much there).
BUT, an S60R seems like a good value only on heavy discount, as there are dozens more viable competitors that could present you with similar performance and attractiveness. But if you must have AWD, you don't have a lot of choice.
And those seats. Sweet jesus, they are like the Throne's of God Himself.

Re: Volvo S60R - Hit or Miss? (HarryHood)


xEleventy-Billion. I only wish my living room furniture was this comfortable.

Re: Volvo S60R - Hit or Miss? (GruvenVR6)

I love them. I would make mine a V70R though...I love the fast wagons! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

Re: (mojojojo.ca)


Yup, by 1 and a quarter turns. It's an improvement, but they are still embarrassing for xenons.

The cars come in mostly bland colors -- black, gray, silver, dark blue. The bolder colors include sonic blue, red and (until this year) flash green.

Re: (mojojojo.ca)


I think it's a close call. There is a lot to like about the R- I think it's Volvo's best looking car to date- Gotta love all of the features like Brembos, 6-speed option. You have to admit, it's a pretty cool car.
It's also a bit pricey.
You can't really mod the X- In terms of suspension, nobody even makes an aftermarket shock for the G35x-
The G35x is more like $32-35k new, if you take your time.
The R even with rebates is considerably more expensive.
That was the deciding factor for me actually. Volvo has to have the most comfortable seats too.
Things I don't like about the R?
I think 300hp is a bit on the optimistic side, or maybe it's just that the "flat" torque curve doesn't really tell the whole story. A chip would cure that I'm sure.
Dynamically, decent, similar to other Volvos (except the S) which is to say the steering is a bit more numb than average.
If you could find a fully loaded one for under $40 new, I'd say you can't go wrong. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif Actually that would be a sweet deal.
And you don't see them everyday

Re: (HarryHood)

The Bi-Xenons have heavy restrictions here in the states. The low beams are great but the Highs suck!!! The only alternative is to swap them out for Euro Bi-Xenons. See swedespeed.com for the swap they just did it last month on their project V-70R.
The flash green was only available for one year with only 7 of them coming to the states!!!
We had one in stock, here at the dealership!!!! Awesome Color http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

Re: Volvo S60R - Hit or Miss? (GruvenVR6)

I really like it, but of course the fast Audi, Mercedes, and BMW are "better" cars (they also cost a lot more)... but the Volvo is definitely designed to be able to live with and in all weather, it's also NOT German, which is sometimes a nice thing - more comfortable ride, comforting interior layout that isn't so cold and dark, generally a softer alternative.
THe S60R is a good car, but it's the V70R that really does it for me... The Audi S4 Avant is useless as a wagon, way too damn small for rear passengers, and luggage space isn't nearly as good... the Mercedes E-Class AMG wagon is huge like the Volvo, but it costs a whole lot more (but it does have way more power) and will probably break down more often,
I really like Volvo's in general, the R cars will probably always have my approval as sweet cars.

I kind of like Volvo clutches... you're right at home if you've owned a VW... I found the engagement point to be very similar, but the Volvo manual transmission drivetrains are so damn smooth and easy to launch - loved the fact that their engines don't over rev at the tip of the gas either, making it that much easier... I test drove a lot of cars between last summer and this past winter, and I found the Volvo manual transmission drivetrains to be the best for smoothness and ease of launching the car (most Japanese cars had engines that would rev way too high at the tip of the throttle, I don't like that).


You heard right, the cars will be announced in 2007 as 2008 models, following the launch of the Volvo S80 flagship... there will also be a Volvo C30 hatchback to compete with the VW GTI, Audi A3, Mini Cooper S etc.


Modified by Live-Wire at 7:36 PM 6-1-2006

Re: (spicygimp)