2002 Volvo S60 2.4T Review

Volvo S60 2.4T
Volvos used to be known as conservative cars that offered a high degree of personal safety, and whose styling was affectionately characterized as "a refrigerator laid down on wheels." Well, they still make a big investment in safety, but gone are the home-appliance body panels.

This new-for-'01 midsize sedan replaces the discontinued S70 four-door. Derived from the same platform on which Volvo builds its S80 flagship sedan and V70 wagon, the S60 is the Scandinavian maker's effort at appealing to a younger customer. Whereas the former two offer "Safety + Luxury" and "Safety + Versatility," respectively, the truncated S60 chassis has been crafted to be the "Safety + Sporty" offering. It's a sedan in structure, coupe-like in execution: a sloping roof, with a very short deck. It's a curvy, muscular, attractive profile that just might get noticed by the 3 Series crowd.

There are three versions of the S60. The normally aspirated base 2.4L I-5 offers 168 hp at 5900 rpm and 170 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm. Our 2.4T light-pressure-turbo tester offers a few more standard features and considerably more punch with 197 hp and 210 lb-ft of torque. In top-line T5 form, the enthusiast driver really gets a warp-drive acceleration effect from the 2.3L high-pressure turbo: 247 hp and 243 lb-ft of twist, good for mid-six-second 0-60-mph romps.

Performance and styling notwithstanding, it's in the many ways this car considers its occupants that it really shines. First, standard impact protection: safety-cage cabin construction, three-point belts with pretensioners and headrests for all five seating positions, anti-whiplash front seats, dual-stage front/front side/front and rear side curtain airbags, and optional laminated side-window glass. Creature comforts: front headrests you can actually rest your head on comfortably, form-fitting buckets that practically defy explanation or adequate description, dash controls that are highly user-friendly, unique B-pillar-mounted rear-seat air vents, plus standard pollen filter and available auto-sensing Interior Air Quality System. Finally, convenient touches: front-seat-cushion pockets, two magazine pockets in each front seatback, a pen retainer, a toll/parking-ramp ticket holder, a trunk-mounted tool kit. Some fairly low-tech, common-sense features, which add up to high-level coddling.

The S60 2.4T is a little less of a sporting luxury sedan than the C320, but it represents an entirely new breed of Volvo: less edgy than the handling of other midsize sport sedans, but with a nice balance of responsiveness and a welcome isolation from road noise. It's a very appealing driver's car for everyday, real-world driving.